OKLAHOMA
I nd i a n Cou nt r y G u i d e
T R AV E LO K .C O M
Visitors love joining joining Visitors in our love Stomp Dance indemonstrations. our Stomp Dance demonstrations.
Every day, visitors join us in demonstrations of our Stomp Dance tradition. It’s part of a world-class destination where we share our culture, year-round, from the Village to exhibit halls and galleries. Join us!
S E A S O N S
O F
C E L E B R A T I O N
Horticulture Discover our gardens, from spring planting through harvest. Stickball Games Chickasaw people have played for centuries and still do to this day in our Traditional Village. C H I C K A S AW C U LT U R A L C E N T E R .C O M • S U L P H U R , O K • 5 8 0 - 6 2 2-7 13 0 OPEN DAILY E XCEP T HOLIDAYS
Table of Contents
5 Introduction 6 Tribal Map 10 Timeline 1 1 Attractions 12 21 24
Northeast Southeast South Central
26 32 35
Central Southwest Northwest
37 Tribal History & Culture
38 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 47 48 48 49 50 51 51 52 53
Absentee Shawnee Tribe Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town Apache Tribe Caddo Nation Cherokee Nation Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes Chickasaw Nation Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Citizen Potawatomi Nation Comanche Nation Delaware Nation Delaware Tribe of Indians Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma Euchee (Yuchi) Tribe of Indians Fort Sill Apache Tribe Iowa Tribe Kaw Nation Kialegee Tribal Town Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma
54 55 56 57 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 67 68 69 70
Miami Tribe of Oklahoma Modoc Tribe Muscogee (Creek) Nation Osage Nation Otoe-Missouria Tribe Ottawa Tribe Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma Sac & Fox Nation Seneca-Cayuga Nation Shawnee Tribe The Great Seminole Nation of Oklahoma Thlopthlocco Tribal Town Tonkawa Tribe United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians Wichita and Affiliated Tribes Wyandotte Nation
Kiowa Tribe
71 Powwows & Events 77 Casinos, Hotels & Resorts 86 Indexes
Pictured above (L to R): – Hide painting, Mohawk Lodge Indian Store – Standing Bear Pow Wow – Chickasaw artist Mike Larsen – Code Talker medal, Choctaw Nation Museum
Front Cover (Left) OKLAHOMA
OKLAHOMA
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OKLAHOMA
Indian Country Guide
1. Pawnee dancer, Standing Bear Pow Wow 2. Beadwork, Choctaw Nation Museum 3. Busts, National Hall of Fame for Famous American Indians 4. Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge
ON E STAT E • M A N Y N AT IO N S
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T R AV E LO K .C O M
T R AV E LO K .C O M
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Back Cover (Right) 5. Indian Scout Muster Roll, Tonkawa Museum 6. Redwood Burl, Cheyenne and Arapaho artist Nathan Hart 7. Pottery, Quapaw Tribal Museum 8. Beadwork, Tonkawa Museum 9. Bison at Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve 10. Wigwam, Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center 11. Arrowheads, Kanza Museum
Indian Country Guide
Indian Country Guide
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Standing Bear Pow Wow Witness pageantry, dancing, singing and authentic culture at a soul-stirring powwow. Explore more on p. 72.
Plan, share and customize an epic trip. Download the TravelOK app or visit TravelOK.VisitWidget.com.
4 Oklahoma Indian Country Guide
Kiowas Moving Camp — Stephen Mopope (Kiowa), Anadarko Post Office
One State, Many Nations Today, 39 American Indian nations have their headquarters in Oklahoma — more than any other state. Each one has its own distinct culture and society. Throughout the pages of the Oklahoma Indian Country Guide, you’ll learn more about the tribes that reside within the state: their early history, how they got to Oklahoma and some of their most influential members. While a few were already living in the area at the time of European contact, most were forced to leave ancestral homelands and migrate to what was then Indian Territory. This guide isn’t just about the tribes’ history, though. It’s about what the Oklahoma-based tribes are today — sovereign nations with thriving businesses and cultures, and citizens who are working hard to preserve their languages and heritage. Within this guide, you’ll find page after page of places you can visit to learn about the tribes’ past and present. Whether you want to attend a powwow, visit historic sites or explore the many cultural centers, we invite you to come see Indian Country for yourself. It’s an experience you won’t forget.
Morning Star Roberts Choctaw Dancer
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Oklahoma's Tribal Communities
Woodward
Key Oklahoma Tourism Information Center Turnpike
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13 11 14 10
Tribal Headquarters
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Oklahoma's Six Regions Throughout this book, Oklahoma is divided into six regions or "countries" to help make trip planning easier. For a detailed tribal jurisdiction map, visit okladot.state.ok.us/maps
NORTHEAST
NORTHWEST
Green Country
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Delaware Tribe of Indians Osage Nation Cherokee Nation Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma Euchee (Yuchi) Tribe of Indians Muscogee (Creek) Nation United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians Miami Tribe of Oklahoma Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma Ottawa Tribe Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma Modoc Tribe Shawnee Tribe Wyandotte Nation Seneca-Cayuga Nation
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Red Carpet Country
17 18 19 20
Kaw Nation Tonkawa Tribe Otoe-Missouria Tribe Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma
CENTRAL
Frontier Country
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Iowa Tribe Sac & Fox Nation Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma Thlopthlocco Tribal Town Citizen Potawatomi Nation Absentee Shawnee Tribe The Great Seminole Nation of Oklahoma Kialegee Tribal Town Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes
Ponca City
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1
17
Pawhuska
2
20
44
19 4 35
Tulsa
5 7
21
6 44
30
Shawnee
32
Norman
Anadarko
36
40
24
40
29 28
27
33 31
Tahlequah
69
25 26
34
Muskogee
22
Oklahoma City 23
3
69
35
37 35
Lawton
38 Sulphur 44 75
Tishomingo 35
39
SOUTHWEST Great Plains Country
3 1 32 33 34 35 36 37
Wichita and Affiliated Tribes Caddo Nation Delaware Nation Kiowa Tribe Comanche Nation Apache Tribe Fort Sill Apache
Durant
SOUTH CENTRAL Chickasaw Country
38
Chickasaw Nation
SOUTHEAST
Choctaw Country 39
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
War Bonnet, Charles Pratt, Cheyenne and Arapaho Artist Museum of the Red River, Idabel
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Visit
G RA N D L A K E O ’ T
Rockcrawling
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of July
Oklahoma Indian Country Guide
Lake Fun
Pelican Festival
t the
T H E CH E R O K E E S
www.GrandLakeFun.com 866-LUV-GRAND
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The History of Indian Country Oklahoma Indian Country’s history dates back 8,000 to 12,000 years to the Paleo-Indian Period. Archaeological sites within the state have uncovered fascinating details about these early human inhabitants. Here’s a look at how outside contact and European-American expansion altered the history of the tribes and Oklahoma:
1492-1828
1828-1887
1887-1934
Early EuropeanAmerican expansion didn’t have much impact on the land now known as Oklahoma during this period. In 1824, the U.S. government establishes Fort Gibson, signaling that things were about to change.
The U.S. government forces eastern tribes to move west, removing tens of thousands from their homelands onto reservations and leading to many tragic conflicts. Sixty-seven tribes ended up in Indian Territory.
The General Allotment Act of 1887, often known as the Dawes Act, seizes more than 90 million acres from Indian nations. The land is given to white settlers as “surplus,” often without the tribes receiving compensation in return. In Oklahoma, the “surplus” lands are settled by Land Runs.
Ole Red — Savor live music, sizzling steak and cold brews in Tishomingo at this hotspot from country megastar Blake Shelton.
1934-1945 The Indian Reorganization Act gives many Oklahoma tribes a foothold to begin recovery. However, government structures and European/Anglo values are forced upon the tribes, further damaging traditional values and governance.
1945-1968 Congress eliminates federal recognition and assistance to more than 100 tribal governments. Federal policy emphasizes physical relocation of tribal members from reservations to urban areas, and millions of acres of valuable land are lost through tax forfeiture sales.
Coleman Theatre, Miami A dazzling 1929 gem featuring palatial Louis XV decor and the “Mighty Wurlitzer,” a 1928 organ with 1,000-plus pipes.
Oklahoma Route 66 Museum — Explore the golden age of the Mother Road amid stunning vintage vehicles, artifacts and mementos in Clinton.
Pioneer Woman Mercantile — Shop ‘til you drop and chow down on Southern cooking at this bustling emporium in Pawhuska.
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Discover Oklahoma’s most awe-inspiring places at Travel
.com.
27286 OTRD-ICG_Attractions_Pg 9-DividerBase.pdf
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Attractions
Cha’ Tullis Gallery, Hominy
Trail of Tears Exhibit Cherokee Heritage Center, Park Hill
Northeast Green Country
2299 Old Bacone Rd., Muskogee | (918) 781-7283
This museum is located on the campus of Bacone College, which opened in 1880 as Indian University and is the state’s oldest continuously operating institution of higher education. The museum has items from many tribes, including Navajo rugs, Maria Martinez pottery and a large collection of Kachina dolls. There’s a beaded bonnet believed to have belonged to Lost Bird, the lone survivor of the Battle of Wounded Knee.
Cathedral of the Osage 1314 Lynn Ave., Pawhuska | (918) 287-1414 icccpawhuska.org
In the 1920s, Osage Nation members grew wealthy thanks to large oil reserves found on reservation land. One of the things they built was the stunning Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. It’s known for its 22 stained glass windows, one depicting Osage chiefs and tribal members who were alive when the window was created — something the church had to get Vatican permission to do. The interior is open select hours Tuesdays through Fridays, or an interior tour can be arranged by calling ahead. Outside is the Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Shrine, which honors a Mohawk woman who lived in the 17th century and was the first Native American recognized by the Catholic Church as a saint. There is an outdoor wooden chapel and an 8-foot bronze of St. Kateri.
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Cha’ Tullis Gallery, Murals and New Territory Sculptures 108 W. Main St., Hominy | (918) 885-4717 chatullis.com
This gallery features works by Cha’ Tullis, a painter, sculptor and silversmith who is of Blackfoot and Cherokee descent. Visitors will find everything from delicate silver jewelry to vibrant acrylic paintings to steel sculptures of all sizes. The multitalented Tullis’ work also brightens up his hometown via murals he painted on the sides of Main Street buildings and the New Territory sculptures that sit atop a hill west of town. Designed to be viewed at a distance, the 15 sheetiron sculptures stand 18 to 20 feet tall and depict the silhouettes of American Indians on their horses.
Cherokee National Prison Museum, Tahlequah Cherokee Nation Businesses
Ataloa Lodge Museum
Cherokee Heritage Center, Park Hill
Cherokee Heritage Center 21192 S. Keeler Dr., Park Hill (918) 456-6007 | (888) 999-6007 cherokeeheritage.org
This complex features outdoor exhibits and a museum that help visitors understand the Cherokees’ way of life from the 1700s to present day. Guests will feel as if they’ve stepped back in time as they walk past traditional structures in Diligwa, a 1710-era village that replicates one in the tribe’s eastern homeland. They can stop at interpretive stations to see activities like flint knapping and basket weaving, then watch games of marbles and stickball. Inside, the six-gallery Trail of Tears exhibit uses artifacts and documents to explore the tribe’s forced removal to Indian Territory. There’s also a museum store and family research center.
Cherokee Nation Gift Shop 17725 S. Muskogee Ave., Tahlequah | (918) 456-2793 (800) 256-2123 cherokeegiftshop.com
Cherokee Gift Shop, Tulsa
This shop features original art pieces of all types, including paintings, carvings, pottery and baskets — all made by Cherokees or members of other tribes. There are many types of jewelry, including beaded items and ones made of silver, copper and semiprecious stones. The store is also stocked with books, apparel, Pendleton products and a line of handcrafted candles.
Cherokee National History Museum 17675 S. Muskogee Ave., Tahlequah | (918) 453-5000 cherokee.org
Cherokee Gift Shop 777 W. Cherokee St., Tulsa | (918) 384-6723 cherokeegiftshop.com
Located inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa, this store features baskets, pottery, paintings and works in other mediums by Cherokee artists. Visitors will also find jewelry, books and apparel, including Pendleton items.
Built in 1869, the Cherokee National Capitol building has been transformed over the years. It is now home to a museum that showcases the tribe’s lifestyle from before European contact to today. There’s also a multi-sensory Trail of Tears exhibit and rotating exhibit space that focuses on different aspects of the Cherokee experience throughout the year.
Cherokee National Prison Museum 124 E. Choctaw St., Tahlequah | (918) 207-3640 visitcherokeenation.com
Cherokee National Prison Museum, Tahlequah Cherokee Nation Businesses
Explore the history of Cherokee law enforcement at this complex, which includes a prison built in 1875 to hold Indian Territory’s worst criminals and an accompanying interpretive center. There are exhibits on Cherokee crime and punishment, law enforcement, prison life and famous outlaws. Visitors can step inside ironclad cells and spin the wheel of justice to see what punishment fit each crime back when the prison was active. Outside are a restored gallows area and blacksmith shop where visitors can learn about a trade once taught to prisoners.
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Five Civilized Tribes Museum, Muskogee
Stickballer by Jerome Tiger Five Civilized Tribes Museum, Muskogee
Five Civilized Tribes Museum, Muskogee
Cherokee National Supreme Court Museum
Creek Council House Museum
122 E. Keetoowah St., Tahlequah (918) 207-3508 | (877) 779-6977
106 W. Sixth St., Okmulgee | (539) 286-4663
visitcherokeenation.com
Built in 1844 to house the Cherokee National Supreme Court, this two-story brick structure is the oldest government building in Oklahoma. It was also home to the printing press of the Cherokee Advocate newspaper. Today, exhibits help educate visitors on the tribe’s judicial system, language and newspapers. One of the Cherokee Advocate’s original presses is on display.
Chief Lookout Memorial & Lookout Mountain 5 miles E. on Okesa Rd., Pawhuska | (918) 287-1208 visittheosage.com
On top of Lookout Mountain is the memorial and burial site of Chief Fred Lookout, who served as the Osage Nation’s chief from 1926 until his death in 1949. His wife Julia, who is also buried on Lookout Mountain, was a descendant of Osage Chief Pawhuska. The top of the mountain also offers incredible views of Pawhuska and the surrounding area.
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This two-story stone structure at the center of Okmulgee’s town square was built in 1878 to house the Muscogee (Creek) government. Today, the restored building is a museum that holds many precious pieces of the tribe’s history. Displays highlight early tribal leaders, everyday life in Indian Territory and the tribe’s role in the Civil War.
Creek Council Oak Park 1750 S. Cheyenne Ave., Tulsa (918) 596-7275 | (918) 732-7992 mcn-nsn.gov
This spot holds a special place in the history of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and of Tulsa. After the tribe was forced to leave its land in the southeastern United States, its members arrived in Indian Territory in 1836. They held a ceremony to establish their home, placing ashes from their original fires at the base of a towering oak tree on a hill overlooking the Arkansas River. They then brought to life a new fire. The tree still stands in what is now a park, and that spot is referred to as Tulsa’s first city hall. A bronze modern art sculpture, Morning Prayer, now sits nearby, as does a garden with plants that the tribe used for various purposes.
Five Civilized Tribes Museum 1101 Honor Heights Dr., Muskogee | (918) 683-1701
Fort Gibson Historic Site & Interpretative Center
fivetribes.org
907 N. Garrison Ave., Fort Gibson | (918) 478-4088
This museum highlights the history and cultures of the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Muscogee (Creek) and Seminole. It’s located in a historic building that was constructed by the U.S. government in 1875 to house the superintendent of the Five Tribes. Today, it’s home to a large collection of art and artifacts, including works by Jerome Tiger, the late Muscogee (Creek)-Seminole artist. Tiger’s only major sculpture, Stickballer, is among the museum’s treasures.
okhistory.org/sites/fortgibson
Established in 1824 to keep peace between the Cherokee and Osage tribes, Fort Gibson was the first army post in Indian Territory and played a prominent role in the tribes’ removals to the area. It was the Union’s Indian Territory headquarters during the Civil War (when it was known as Fort Blunt), and also the headquarters for the Dawes Commission as it worked to enroll tribal members. Today, visitors can see a re-created log fort, 29 historic buildings and exhibits that explore the fort’s history.
Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore
Will Rogers
Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch, Oologah
1879-1935
Legendary entertainer Will Rogers had an incredibly versatile public career that included stints as a trick roper, vaudeville performer, movie star, radio star, humorist and columnist. Rogers was known for his sharp wit, and his words still resonate today. Rogers was also “The Cherokee Kid,” a nickname that stuck with the Cherokee Nation citizen who was born and raised in Oologah in the Cooweescoowee District of the Cherokee Nation. Here are four places to visit to learn more about Rogers:
Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch 9501 E. 380 Rd., Oologah (918) 275-4201 | (800) 324-9455 willrogers.com
Rogers was born and grew up on this ranch his father started. Today, it is one of the few remaining examples of a Cherokee-style cattle ranch. Visitors can explore the log-walled, two-story home and the barns, seeing longhorn cattle and other farm animals.
Will Rogers Memorial Museum 1720 W. Will Rogers Blvd., Claremore (918) 341-0719 | (800) 324-9455 willrogers.com
Visitors can learn more about Rogers’ life at this museum. Its Heritage Gallery focuses on Rogers’ family and his Cherokee roots. Visitors can also watch Rogers’ films in the theater, see memorabilia from his travels and pay their respects at his tomb. Oklahoma Hall of Fame at the Gaylord-Pickens Museum, Oklahoma City
The Oklahoma Hall of Fame inducted Rogers in 1932. See Page 28 National Hall of Fame for Famous American Indians, Anadarko
A bust of Rogers is one of 43 on display at this outdoor attraction. See Page 32
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General Stand Watie Grave Site Polson Cemetery, E. 340 Rd. 2 miles W. of Southwest City | (918) 854-3467
Visitors can see the grave of Confederate Gen. Stand Watie, a Cherokee who was the only full-blooded American Indian to rise to the rank of Brigadier General during the Civil War. Watie was the last Confederate general to surrender, doing so on June 23, 1865. Also buried in Polson Cemetery is John Ridge, a well-known Cherokee leader who was assassinated after signing the Treaty of New Echota.
Gilcrease Museum 1400 N. Gilcrease Museum Rd., Tulsa (918) 596-2700 | (888) 655-2278 gilcrease.org
This museum houses the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of arts and artifacts of the American West. It is perhaps best known for its Frederic Remington bronzes and paintings by the Western masters, but the museum is also home to thousands of pieces of Native American art and material, including pottery, baskets and beadwork. Out front is Sacred Rain Arrow, a well-known bronze by renowned Apache artist Allan Houser that depicts a young Apache warrior aiming an arrow at the sky with the hope of bringing rain. There are also 23 acres of gardens that reflect different gardening styles and techniques.
Healing Rock 14004 Lake Rd., Skiatook | (918) 396-3170
The naturally formed rock, which has also been called Teepee Rock, stands 12 feet high and 17 feet at the base. It’s located along a short trail behind the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers building at Skiatook Lake, where it was moved after the lake was built.
Hunter’s Home 19479 E. Murrell Home Rd., Park Hill | (918) 456-2751 okhistory.org/sites/huntershome
This grand, Greek Revival-style house is the only remaining antebellum plantation home in Oklahoma. It belonged to George M. Murrell, who moved to the area with the family of his Cherokee wife, Minerva, when the Cherokees were forced to move from their homes in the east. Minerva was the niece of Cherokee Chief John Ross, and the home contains many original furnishings from the Ross and Murrell families. During the Civil War, Confederate Gen. Stand Watie’s troops broke into the dining room, and repairs to the damage can still be seen.
John Ross Museum 22366 S. 530 Rd,. Park Hill | (918) 431-0757 visitcherokeenation.com
Visitors can explore the life of John Ross, who was principal chief of the Cherokee Nation for 38 years, at this museum. It features displays on Ross, the Trail of Tears, the Civil War, Cherokee education and the Cherokee Golden Age, a time of renaissance for the tribe that spanned from 1849 to 1860. The museum is housed in a former rural school built in 1913. Behind it is the Ross Cemetery.
www.swt.usace.army.mil
In the late 19th century, this massive rock was considered to be a healing site by the Osage and Quapaw tribes.
Friend in Need Carl Kauba Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa
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Feather Bonnet, Creek Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa
Quapaw Tribal Museum, Quapaw Osage Nation Museum, Pawhuska
Osage Nation Museum, Pawhuska
Mayes County Historical Society Inc. Museum
Philbrook Downtown
847 State Highway 69/S. Eighth St., Pryor | (918) 825-2575
philbrook.org
Housed in Pryor’s original Katy Railroad Depot, this museum focuses on the history of the area. It has artifacts and exhibits featuring the Cherokee and Osage nations and an art gallery with work by local Cherokee artists. There’s also a collection of salt-glazed pottery, an 1800s printing press and an exhibit on the devastating tornado that hit Pryor in 1942.
This satellite location of the Philbrook Museum of Art in the Tulsa Arts District features American Indian works from the 20th century, including contemporary artists. The downtown facility also frequently hosts special exhibitions of contemporary native work.
116 E. Brady St., Tulsa | (918) 749-7941
Philbrook Museum of Art 2727 S. Rockford Rd., Tulsa | (918) 748-5300
Osage Nation Museum 819 Grandview Ave., Pawhuska | (918) 287-5441 osagenation-nsn.gov/museum
This free attraction was the first tribal-owned museum in the United States. It shares the story of the Osage Nation through an extensive photo collection, art, historical artifacts and cultural programs. The museum hosts frequently changing exhibits that feature Osage artists and items from the tribe’s history.
Osage Nation Visitors Center 602 E. Main St., Pawhuska | (918) 287-5537 osagenation-nsn.gov/visitors-center
Opened in 2018, this Osage Nation store features a variety of Osage art and gifts, including moccasins, beaded jewelry, paintings and cedar boxes. There are also books, T-shirts and other souvenirs, and an iPad bar lets visitors use an app to learn about the Osage language.
philbrook.org
This magnificent estate features immaculately manicured gardens, an elegant mansion and a permanent art collection with items from all different styles and corners of the world. A large area of the museum is dedicated to Native American art and artifacts, including pieces by Maria Martinez, Allan Houser and Oscar Howe.
Quapaw Tribal Museum 905 Whitebird St., Quapaw | (918) 238-3157 | (918) 542-1853 quapawtribe.com
This free museum explores the Quapaw Tribe’s rich history. On display are traditional clothes, historic photos and Quapaw pottery that is between 850 and 900 years old. Outside is the anchor from the U.S.S. Quapaw, a Navy tug ship that saw action in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The gift shop includes a selection of Pendleton blankets and jewelry.
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The Water Bird Gallery, Pawhuska Pg. 18
Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve, Bartlesville Pg. 18
The Water Bird Gallery, Pawhuska Pg. 18
Shawnee Tribe Cultural Center 19 N. Eight Tribes Trail, Miami | (918) 544-6722 shawneeculture.org
Rabbit Gallery 231 S. Taylor St., Pryor | (918) 825-3716 billandtracirabbit.com
This gallery showcases the work of Cherokee artists Traci Rabbit and her late father Bill. Bill was a Cherokee National Treasure whose work was known for its vibrant colors and unique themes, while Traci’s paintings focus on contemporary native women. The gallery’s gift shop is filled with Native American-made gifts.
Redstick Gallery 105 S. Grand Ave., Okmulgee | (918) 758-5557 creeknationgiftshop.com
This shop is owned by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and all items featured in the store are made by Muscogee (Creek) artists or individuals from other federally recognized tribes. Beaded, sterling silver and leather jewelry are all available, along with handwoven belts, baskets, original pieces of art and more affordable prints.
Sequoyah’s Cabin
Opened in 2018, this free, self-guided museum shares the story of the Shawnee people. There’s an exhibit focusing on the rediscovery of ancient ways of pottery making, and another tells the Shawnee story through objects that represent essential aspects of Shawnee life.
Soaring Eagle Gift Shop 2540 Murrow Cir., Muskogee | (918) 682-2586
This store’s selections include jewelry, moccasins, ornaments, hats, pottery, dreamcatchers, books and Pendleton products. A wide variety of tribes are represented. Store proceeds support the Murrow Children’s Home.
Spurs and Arrows 128 E. Main St., Pawhuska | (918) 287-1523
This gift shop features Oklahoma and Osage Countythemed items. It also sells Osage embroidered broadcloth skirts, turquoise and silver jewelry, and pieces by local Osage/Cherokee artist Joe Don Brave.
470288 State Highway 101, Sallisaw | (918) 775-2413
The Spider Gallery
visitcherokeenation.com
215 S. Muskogee Ave., Tahlequah | (918) 453-5728
One of the Cherokee Nation’s most famous members, Sequoyah, created the syllabary that allowed the tribe’s members to read and write. Sequoyah, also known as George Guess, was one of the Old Cherokee Settlers. He built this one-room log cabin in 1829, shortly after arriving in Oklahoma. To preserve, the Works Progress Administration built a stone building around it in 1936.
cherokeenationart.com
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This Cherokee Nation-owned gallery features paintings, sculptures, pottery, jewelry and other original work by more than 50 Cherokee artists. There are also affordably priced prints, postcards, and other gift items, along with art supplies. The gallery frequently hosts classes in topics like metalsmithing, basket weaving and shell carving.
Northeast Oklahoma’s Green Country GREENCOUNTRYOK.COM • 800.922.2118
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and other items, including a local craftswoman’s line of furniture that has been re-covered with Pendleton fabric. There’s also sterling silver and turquoise jewelry, much of which is American Indian made, along with antiques, leather goods and art pieces.
White Hair Memorial 10 miles W. of Hominy on State Highway 20, take Blackburn exit | (918) 538-2417
This 1920s-era home serves as an Osage cultural resource learning center. The house belonged to Lillie Morrell Burkhart, a descendant of Osage Chief Pawhuska, whose name roughly translates to White Hair. Visitors can explore the home and the museum’s vast reference library.
Woody Crumbo Mural 109 N. Pine, Nowata | (918) 273-1681 The Spider Gallery, Tahlequah Pg. 16
Nowata’s post office is home to “The Rainbow Trail,” a stunning indoor mural painted by Woody Crumbo, a Potawatomi artist, performer and dancer who is a member of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. Installed in 1943, the mural depicts three Plains Indians on horses amidst a rocky landscape filled with desert plants. One of the men is pointing at a rainbow.
Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve The Water Bird Gallery
1925 Woolaroc Ranch Rd., Bartlesville
134 E. Sixth St., Pawhuska | (918) 287-9129
(918) 336-0307 | (888) 966-5276
Owned by a member of the Osage Nation, this unique gallery features a variety of Native American-made goods, including Osage fingerwoven belts, garters, moccasins, beaded jewelry and sterling silver jewelry. The store also sells Teton Trade Company broadcloth and blankets. There’s also a selection of books and gift items with traditional native prints — including plush blankets, socks and stuffed animals.
woolaroc.org
Tiger Gallery 2110 E. Old Shawnee Rd., Muskogee | (918) 687-7006 tigerartgallery.com
This gallery honors the life of influential Muscogee (Creek)-Seminole painter Jerome Tiger. It offers prints of his work along with pieces by members of the talented Tiger family, including Jerome’s daughter Dana, who primarily works in acrylics and watercolors, and her children, painter Hvresse Christie Tiger and sculptor Lisa Tiger. The work of apparel artist Michael Deo, who has collaborated with Dana on pillows featuring her paintings, is also featured.
Where the Buffalo Roam 648 Harrison St., Pawnee | (918) 762-2420
Shoppers will find a little bit of everything at this upscale trading post that’s popular with Pawnee and Osage tribal members. It carries a wide selection of Pendleton blankets
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This 3,700-acre property started out as a retreat for Phillips Petroleum Company founder Frank Phillips. It’s now a working ranch, wildlife preserve and museum filled with Western and Native American art and artifacts. Materials from around 40 tribes are on display. There are baskets, pottery and blankets from the Navajo, Apache, Hopi and Pueblo tribes, along with beaded buckskins and feather bonnets from the Plains tribes. There’s an exhibit on the American bison and its impact on the new world, and a herd of bison are among the animals in the drive-through preserve. Eternal Return by Jeffrey Gibson, Choctaw/Cherokee This mixed-media figure features the metal jingles that are attached to the dresses that women in many tribes wear for dancing.
Philbrook Museum of Art, Pg. 15
Choctaw Nation Labor Day Festival, Tuskahoma
Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center, Spiro Pg. 21
Southeast Choctaw Country
Fort Washita Historic Site & Museum, Durant
Fort Towson Historic Site HC 63 Box 1580, Fort Towson | (580) 873-2634 okhistory.org/sites/forttowson
Boggy Depot Park 4684 S. Park Ln., Atoka | (580) 889-5625 chickasawcountry.com/outdoors/boggy-depot-park
This area has great historical significance to the Chickasaw and Choctaw nations. Many tribal members settled in the town of Boggy Depot when they arrived during removal. Little remains of the town, but park visitors can camp, fish, walk a nature trail and enjoy other activities. West of the park lies Boggy Depot Cemetery, where former Choctaw Principal Chief Allen Wright is buried. Wright is best known for suggesting the name “Oklahoma” when U.S. officials asked tribal delegates what to call their territory.
Choctaw Nation Museum 163655 N. 4355 Rd., Tuskahoma | (918) 569-4465 choctawnation.com
The stately, three-story brick building constructed in 1884 to house the Choctaw Nation government is now a free museum filled with pottery, basketry and an art gallery. There are exhibits on the Trail of Tears and the Lighthorsemen, who helped establish law in Indian Territory. There’s also an exhibit and film on the Choctaw Code Talkers, who used their native language to develop a code and transmit U.S. Army messages during World War II. Kids love the virtual reality exhibit, where they can slip on a headset and try “shooting” a bow. There’s also a gift shop featuring handmade items and art.
Established in 1824 to facilitate relations between American Indians and settlers, this fort served many roles. It was a point of dispersal for the Choctaws and Chickasaws after removal to Indian Territory, a staging area for U.S. forces during the Mexican War, and the Confederate headquarters for Indian Territory during the Civil War. The site’s museum highlights the history of the fort and the Choctaw Nation. Visitors can see the remains of the fort’s buildings and enjoy living history programs.
Fort Washita Historic Site & Museum 3348 St. Rd. 199, Durant | (580) 924-6502 chickasaw.net
This fort was built in 1842 to protect the relocated Choctaw and Chickasaw tribes from the Plains tribes, and Confederate troops occupied it during the Civil War. Guests can see many original structures that have been restored, visit the Confederate cemetery and explore the museum to learn about life at the fort.
Indian Territory & Oklahoma Statehood Settlement 403 Walnut St., Indianola | (773) 844-1804
Explore a slice of Oklahoma’s past at the Old Choate Cabin Museum and Bynum House. The log cabin was constructed in 1867 by Civil War soldier George Washington Choate, the last Choctaw Senate president before Oklahoma statehood. The Bynum House, built in 1903, is a three-generation family home with all its original outbuildings. This free attraction is open by appointment only.
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r o b b e r s C av e s tat e P a r k , o k
22 Oklahoma Indian Country Guide
C h o C taw C o u n t r y . C o m
Three Valley Museum, Durant
Winnowing Basket, Choctaw Nation Museum, Tuskahoma Pg. 19
Board Cradle
Museum of the Red River 812 E. Lincoln Rd., Idabel | (580) 286-3616 museumoftheredriver.org
Extensive renovations have expanded this cultural institution to more than 57,000 square feet, leaving plenty of room for its wide-ranging collections. It has one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of Caddo ceramics, along with large selections of Choctaw basketry and Amazonian featherwork. Its best-known piece, though, is probably the cast of the bones of the Acrocanthosaurus atokensis — better known as Acro — found near Idabel in 1983. The 40-foot-long dinosaur species was one of North America’s largest predators and looked similar to a Tyrannosaurus rex.
Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center 18154 First St., Spiro | (918) 962-2062 okhistory.org/sites/spiromounds.php
This prehistoric archaeological dig site is one of the nation’s most important American Indian sites. The 12 mounds were created and used by Caddoan-speaking people between 850 and 1500 A.D., and the area was a highly influential and sophisticated cultural center. The site yielded incredible artifacts. It was heavily damaged by commercial digging from 1933 to 1935 and then scientifically excavated in the following years. Guests can follow two miles of walking trails around the mounds and visit the archaeological center to learn about how the Spiro people lived.
Crow (Plains Tribe) Museum of the Red River, Idabel
Three Valley Museum 401 W. Main St., Durant (580) 920-1907 threevalleymuseum.com
Dedicated to sharing the history of Durant, Bryan County and southeastern Oklahoma, this museum has a Native American gallery with exhibits on the Caddo, Choctaw and Chickasaw tribes. There’s also a large transportation exhibit with vintage vehicles like a 1931 Ford Model A and a 1933 F12 Farmall tractor. Second-floor rooms are set up to look like businesses and scenes from the early 1900s.
Wheelock Academy 1377 Wheelock Rd. Unit C, Garvin | (580) 746-2139 choctawnation.com
Built in 1832 as a mission school and rebuilt in 1884 after a devastating fire, the campus became a boarding academy for Choctaw girls that remained in service until 1955. The former teachers’ quarters is now a museum with pictures, documents and artifacts from the school’s history. Visitors can see the school building, dormitory and superintendent’s building. A gift shop sells Choctaw-made beaded jewelry, stickball equipment and other items.
Untitled by Doc Tate Navaquaya, Comanche Museum of the Red River, Idabel
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Chickasaw Cultural Center, Sulphur
Marcy Gray/Chickasaw Nation
South Central
Artesian Arts Festival, Sulphur
Chickasaw Country
100 W. Muskogee St., Sulphur | (580) 622-8040 chickasaw.net
This facility across the street from The Artesian Hotel is a popular stop for artists and collectors. It’s home to a gallery, studio space and a retail shop that sells highquality art supplies, along with jewelry, books and more items created by Chickasaws and other native artists. Guests can often talk with artists or see them at work. Art classes of all levels are offered.
Bedré Fine Chocolate 37 N. Colbert Rd., Davis (580) 369-4200 | (800) 367-5390 bedrechocolates.com
In 2000, the Chickasaw Nation purchased a small local chocolate company, becoming the first Native American tribe with its own brand of fine chocolate. Those who visit the company’s store and manufacturing facility can often see the chocolate-making process in action while they shop thanks to large glass windows in the store. Bedré’s popular chocolates include Crisps, which are delicious chocolate-covered potato chips, and Meltaways, which have gourmet centers in flavors like strawberry and mint.
Chickasaw Bank Museum & Johnston County Museum of History 401 W. Main St., Tishomingo | (580) 371-3141 johnstoncountyok.com
Completed in 1902, this ornate granite building served as the Chickasaw Nation’s bank. It came to ruin in 1909
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when a clerk absconded with its funds. Today, the first floor has been restored to appear much as it did during its banking days, and the second floor is filled with exhibits highlighting the history of Johnston County.
Chickasaw Council House Museum 209 N. Fisher, Tishomingo | (580) 371-3351 chickasaw.net
This free museum holds one of the largest collections of art, artifacts and archival material related to the Chickasaw Nation. Inside still stands the Chickasaw’s original Council House, a log structure built in 1856. Exhibits tell the tribe’s story from the beginning. The gift shop includes Chickasaw art, jewelry, books, music, language materials and other souvenirs.
Chickasaw Cultural Center 867 Cooper Memorial Rd., Sulphur | (580) 622-7130 chickasawculturalcenter.com
This state-of-the-art complex shares the story of the Chickasaw Nation through interactive displays. Exhibits include the Spirit Forest, which uses light and sound effects, running water, and replicas of native plants and animals to leave visitors feeling as Chickasaw Nation White House, Milburn
Chickasaw Nation
ARTesian Gallery & Studios
Pg. 70
Chickasaw Nation White House
Te Ata Fisher 1895-1995
6379 E. Mansion Rd., Milburn (580) 235-7343 | (580) 436-2603
Mary Thompson Fisher, better known as Te Ata, was a Chickasaw woman who became a famous actress and storyteller. Fisher captivated audiences with her retelling of Native American legends, myths and chants. She performed across the United States, England and Scandinavia. She staged her show at the White House for President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first state dinner in 1933.
chickasaw.net/whitehouse
Built in 1895, this Queen Anne-style house was the home of Chickasaw Nation Gov. Douglas H. Johnston and his family from 1898 to 1971. It was the site of many important political and societal events during Johnston’s time as governor. Visitors can tour the house, which has been restored and contains many pieces of original furniture from the Johnston family.
Fisher was born in 1895 in the tiny Oklahoma community of Emet. An aunt gave her the name Te Ata, which means “bearer of the morning.”
Chickasaw National Capitol Building 4 11 W. Ninth St., Tishomingo | (580) 371-9835 chickasaw.net
This stately red granite building has stood in Tishomingo’s Capitol Square since 1898, and it functioned as the seat of the Chickasaw Nation’s government until Oklahoma achieved statehood in 1907. Today, the building functions as a free museum with an exhibit on the history of Chickasaw government before statehood and portraits of the Chickasaw governors.
In 2016, Chickasaw Nation Productions released the film Te Ata, which profiled Fisher’s life. Here are four places to visit to learn more about Fisher: Te Ata Memorial Auditorium & Statue University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, Chickasha | (800) 933-8726 usao.edu
Chickasaw Press
Fisher attended the Oklahoma College of Women, which is today USAO. The school’s auditorium is named after Fisher, and a 9-foot bronze statue of her sits in front of USAO’s Troutt Hall.
1020 N. Mississippi Ave., Ada | (580) 436-7282 chickasawpress.com
In 2006, the Chickasaw Nation created the Chickasaw Press to produce publications that help the tribe share its rich culture. This bookstore stocks a wide selection of books from the Chickasaw Press and its secondary imprint White Dog Press, which features genres like historical fiction and children’s books. The store also has Bedré Fine Chocolates, Pendleton products and other gift items.
University of Oklahoma Western History Collections 630 Parrington Oval Rm 300, Norman (405) 325-3641 libraries.ou.edu
Marcy Gray/Chickasaw Nation
Stickball game in front of the Chickasaw National Capitol Building, Tishomingo
Oklahoma Historical Society
if they’ve been transported to the forests of the Chickasaw’s southeastern homelands. There’s also the Removal Corridor, which guides guests through the tribe’s terrible journey to Indian Territory. Outside are stickball games and stomp dances to watch, and a traditional Chickasaw village features cultural demonstrators illustrating aspects of Chickasaw life. Also on the campus are fine art galleries, gift shops and The Aaimpa’ Café, which serves favorite Chickasaw dishes and modern American items.
The OU campus is home to massive archives that document the history of the American West. Its Te Ata Fisher Collection includes Fisher’s correspondence, promotional materials from her career and newspaper clippings. Chickasaw Council House Museum Tishomingo
Fisher is one of several well-known Chickasaw citizens featured at the museum. See Page 22 Oklahoma Hall of Fame at the Gaylord-Pickens Museum Oklahoma City
The Oklahoma Hall of Fame inducted Fisher in 1957. See Page 28
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John Jernigan
Red Earth Parade, Oklahoma City
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City
Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center, Shawnee
Pg. 26
Central
Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, Norman
Frontier Country
Cherokee Trading Post & Travel Mart 301 S. Walbaum Rd., Calumet | (405) 884-2502 cherokeetrade.com
This shop features tons of items made by Oklahoma and Southwestern tribal members. Visitors will find Cherokee and Cheyenne beadwork, Cherokee baskets, turquoise and silver jewelry and pottery from the Southwestern tribes. There’s also a wide selection of moccasins, including many that are handmade.
Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center 1899 S. Gordon Cooper Dr., Shawnee | (405) 878-5830 potawatomiheritage.com
This free center serves to educate visitors on the past and present of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. The main gallery features exhibits on the lives of early Potawatomi people and the harsh changes brought about by removal. Among the treasures visitors will find are a replica wigwam, a reproduction of the type of canoe used to harvest wild rice in the Great Lakes, and a display of 86 pairs of handmade moccasins.
Citizen Potawatomi Nation Eagle Aviary 1601 Gordon Cooper Dr., Shawnee | (405) 863-5623 potawatomiheritage.com/#aviary
The eagle holds a significant place in the culture of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and other tribes. At this facility,
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the tribe cares for injured bald eagles, golden eagles and other birds of prey that cannot be returned to the wild. The nation uses some of the naturally molted feathers from these birds in cultural and religious ceremonies. Tours of the aviary are available by appointment only.
Exhibit C 1 E. Sheridan Ave. Ste. 100, Oklahoma City (405) 767-8900 exhibitcgallery.com
Owned by the Chickasaw Nation, this gallery and gift shop in the Bricktown Entertainment District highlight the work of artists from the Chickasaw Nation and other tribes. The store features a wide selection of jewelry, clothing, books, movies, art prints, Pendleton items and goodies from the Chickasaws’ Bedré Fine Chocolate line.
Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art 555 Elm Ave., Norman | (405) 325-3272 ou.edu/fjjma
This stunning museum on the University of Oklahoma campus is best known for its French Impressionism collection, but it also contains many American Indian and Western pieces. The Eugene B. Adkins Collection features Native American art and art from the American Southwest. There are paintings, pottery and jewelry by many of the most influential Native American artists of the 20th century, including Jerome Tiger, Maria Martinez and Charles Loloma.
Jim Thorpe 1887-1953 Sac and Fox Nation citizen Jim Thorpe, who was also of Kickapoo and Potawatomi descent, is widely considered one of the greatest athletes of all time. Thorpe grew up near Prague, but his legend started at Carlisle Industrial Indian School in Pennsylvania, where he led the football team in a 1911 upset of Harvard. He won gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon at the 1912 Olympic Games and played professional baseball, football and basketball. Thorpe was stripped of his Olympic wins after questions arose about his amateur status, though the medals were restored after his death. National Hall of Fame for Famous American Indians, Anadarko Pg. 32
Here are six places around the state to visit to learn more about Thorpe:
Downtown Prague Jim Thorpe Blvd., Prague | (405) 567-4750
Visitors to Thorpe’s hometown will find a monument and colorful mural highlighting Thorpe. The Prague Historical Museum has Thorpe photos and memorabilia, including a torch from the 1996 Olympic Torch run that came through Prague in honor of Thorpe. Jim Thorpe Birth Site N.S. 3510 Rd., S. of intersection of E. 1019 Rd. and NS 3510 Rd., near Prague | (405) 567-4750
While the home Thorpe was born in no longer stands, a historical marker denotes the spot and contains information about Thorpe’s life. Jim Thorpe Home 706 E. Boston Ave., Yale | (918) 387-2815 okhistory.org/sites/thorpehome
This house is the only one Thorpe ever owned. It contains many original pieces of furniture and is arranged much as it was when the Thorpe family lived there. Many pieces of memorabilia are on display, including historical pictures and medals Thorpe won as an amateur.
Jim Thorpe Museum & Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame 20 S. Mickey Mantle Dr., Oklahoma City (405) 427-1400 oklahomasportshalloffame.org
Located at the northwest corner of Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, this facility features more than 250 pieces of memorabilia from Thorpe’s career. Many are from his time at Carlisle school and from his pro baseball and football careers. Out front is a bronze statue of Thorpe. Oklahoma Hall of Fame at the Gaylord-Pickens Museum Oklahoma City
The Oklahoma Hall of Fame inducted Thorpe in 1950. See Page 28 National Hall of Fame for Famous American Indians Anadarko
A bust of Thorpe is one of 43 on display at this outdoor attraction. See Page 32
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Iowa Tribe’s Grey Snow Eagle House 335567 E. 0740 Rd., Perkins | (405) 334-7471 eagles.iowanation.org
Untitled by Stephen Mopope, Kiowa Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art, Shawnee
This facility rehabilitates injured bald eagles, golden eagles and raptors with the goal of releasing as many back into the wild as possible. Those whose injuries are too severe have a forever home at the facility. The eagle holds a special place of honor in Native American culture, and the Iowa Tribe distributes the birds’ naturally molted feathers to members for cultural and religious uses. Free tours are offered by appointment only.
Jacobson House Native Art Center 609 Chautauqua Ave., Norman | (405) 366-1667 jacobsonhouse.org
Built in 1917 for Oscar Jacobson, the first director of the University of Oklahoma’s art school, this house is a treasure in itself. It has design touches popular in the Swedish-born Jacobson’s homeland at the time, like stucco and wooden scrollwork. It was in this home that Jacobson worked with the Kiowa Six, a group of special students who became highly influential artists. Today, the Jacobson House serves as an art gallery and gathering place for new generations of artists.
Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art Historic Fort Reno, El Reno
1900 W. MacArthur Dr., Shawnee | (405) 878-5300 mgmoa.org
Historic Fort Reno 7107 W. Cheyenne St., El Reno | (405) 262-3987 fortreno.org
Established in 1874 to facilitate relations with the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes, this fort has a diverse history. It was a home to the buffalo soldiers, a remount station where horses were bred and trained for the military, and a German and Italian prisoner of war camp during World War II. Today, visitors can stop at the Historic Fort Reno Visitor Center & Museum and at Post Cemetery, where soldiers, Native Americans, civilians and prisoners of war are buried.
Indian Trading Post & Art Gallery 825 S. Walbaum Rd., Calumet | (405) 884-5599
This shop not far off Route 66 has a wide selection of paintings, pottery, jewelry, moccasins, dreamcatchers and other gift items. It has authentic silver and turquoise jewelry made by members of the Southwestern tribes and beadwork by Cheyenne & Arapaho artisans. There are many pieces from Oklahoma painters, including Robert Redbird (Kiowa), Archie Blackowl (Cheyenne) and Bill and Traci Rabbit (Cherokee).
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This museum’s collection spans a vast range of time periods and geographical areas. Its Native American collection features artifacts from many tribes but focuses on the Oklahoma tribes. Among the pieces are a display of Osage dance regalia and a Kiowa cradleboard and dress. The museum also has important permanent collections of Egyptian, Greek and Roman objects; it’s the only museum in the region that has an Egyptian mummy.
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum 1700 N.E. 63rd St., Oklahoma City | (405) 478-225 nationalcowboymuseum.org
This massive museum is America’s premier institution of Western history, art and culture. Its Silberman Gallery features temporary exhibits from the museum’s extraordinary collection of more than 2,500 pieces of Native American fine art, while the Robert T. Stuart Native American Gallery highlights artifacts from many tribes. At the Pow-Wow by Paul Moore, Muscogee (Creek) National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City
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Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, Norman
the Southwestern tribes, and store founder Yolanda White Antelope’s horsehair pottery. Beaded jewelry, dreamcatchers and prayer feathers are also available. The store offers items in a wide range of prices.
Red Earth Art Center Call for directions, Oklahoma City | (405) 427-5228 redearth.org
This small downtown museum is home to a permanent collection of more than 1,000 traditional and contemporary American Indian pieces. Displays are rotated throughout the year, but the collection includes fine art, pottery, basketry, textiles and beadwork. The center does have art pieces and gift items for sale.
Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman | (405) 325-4712 samnoblemuseum.ou.edu
Oklahoma Hall of Fame at the Gaylord-Pickens Museum 1400 Classen Dr., Oklahoma City | (405) 235-4458 oklahomahof.com
Learn the stories behind the members of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame at this interactive museum. There are portraits of each hall of fame member along with interactive touchscreens that visitors can use to learn more about the hall of famers. Many American Indian leaders have been inducted over the years, including Chickasaw Nation Gov. Bill Anoatubby, Sac & Fox athlete Jim Thorpe, Osage ballerina Maria Tallchief Paschen and Sequoyah, who invented the Cherokee syllabary.
Oklahoma History Center 800 Nazih Zuhdi Dr., Oklahoma City | (405) 522-0765 okhistory.org/historycenter
This 215,000-square-foot facility tells the story of Oklahoma’s past and present. The Smithsonian-affiliate museum has a gallery that highlights each of the federally recognized American Indian tribes headquartered in Oklahoma. It explores the tribes’ pasts and their contemporary cultures with an exhibit that features artifacts, art, music, photos and oral histories. The Crossroads of Commerce Exhibit traces Oklahoma’s past from the Caddo tribe in the 1700s to present day.
Oklahoma Native Art & Jewelry 2204 Exchange Ave., Oklahoma City | (405) 604-9800 oknativeart.com
Located in Historic Stockyards City, this gallery features pieces from artists representing around 15 tribes. Much of the art is done by Oklahoma artists, including all of the paintings. There’s also sterling silver jewelry from
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This stunning, 50,000-square-foot facility traces over 500 million years of Oklahoma’s natural and cultural history. The Hall of the People of Oklahoma follows the 30,000-year history of native people in the state. Its collection of artifacts includes the oldest painted object in North America, the “Cooper Skull.” The 10,000-year-old object, which was found in northern Oklahoma, is the crushed skull of a now-extinct bison that has been painted with a red zig-zag pattern. There are also full-size replica pole houses and a cedar canoe from the Mississippian culture.
Seminole Nation Museum 524 S Wewoka Ave., Wewoka | (405) 257-5580 seminolenationmuseum.org
Through artifacts, historic photographs and interpretive exhibits, this free museum chronicles the history and culture of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and the tribe’s capital of Wewoka. It includes exhibits on the Seminole Lighthorsemen, a law enforcement group feared for its fierce dedication to justice, and Alice Brown Davis, who was the Seminoles’ Principal Chief from 1922 to 1935. The museum also includes a research center, an arts and crafts center and an art gallery.
Tribes 131 Art Gallery 131 24th Ave. N.W., Norman | (405) 329-4442 tribes131.com
This fine art gallery features Native American and Western art that is both historical and contemporary. Pieces include original paintings, bronze and alabaster sculptures, jewelry, textiles, pottery and beadwork. The gallery frequently has work from premier Oklahoma artists like Dylan Cavin, a multimedia artist who is a member of the Choctaw Nation, and Enoch Kelly Haney, a Seminole-Muscogee (Creek) painter.
take a
loo around
Oklahoma City is home to a whole world of culture: American Indian festivals, the OKC Museum of Art’s breathtaking Chihuly glass collection and the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s rich western history—not to mention the powerful story told at the OKC National Memorial Museum. When it’s time for some fun, try a taste of urban whitewater rafting or a tropical rainforest in the heart of downtown. There’s so much to explore in OKC, inside and out.
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Comanche National Museum & Cultural Center, Lawton
Southwest
Great Plains Country
Chief’s Knoll at Post Cemetery* Fort Sill | (580) 442-5123
Anadarko Post Office Mural 120 S. First St., Anadarko (405) 247-6651 | (405) 247-6461
Inside this historic building is “Kiowas Moving Camp,” a 16-panel mural by Stephen Mopope, a member of the Kiowa Six, a highly influential group of artists. Fellow Kiowa Six members James Auchiah and Spencer Asah assisted on the project, which the U.S. Treasury Department commissioned in 1936. The tempera-oncanvas work depicts the ceremonial and social life of the Plains tribes. The United States Postal Service chose the mural to appear on a postage stamp released in April 2019.
Buck’s Native American Pawn Shop 1413 S.W. Lee Blvd., Lawton | (580) 355-7363
Around since the 1940s, this venerable shop is a favorite of collectors and local tribal members for its affordability and wide selection. Offerings include full active dance regalia, beadwork and turquoise, silver and coral jewelry. There’s also contemporary and traditional art, often including works by the renowned Kiowa Six.
Caddo Heritage Museum
This area at the highest point of Fort Sill Air Force Base’s Post Cemetery contains the graves of many legendary Southern Plains tribal leaders. Comanche leader Quanah Parker, Kiowa leader Satank (Sitting Bear) and famed Delaware scout Black Beaver are among those buried at Chief’s Knoll. The Fort Sill National Historic Landmark & Museum has maps available to help visitors find the cemetery.
Comanche National Museum & Cultural Center 701 N.W. Ferris Ave., Lawton | (580) 353-0404 comanchemuseum.com
Explore Comanche Nation history and culture at this free museum that has what is believed to be the world’s largest collection of Comanche art. There are exhibits on traditional Comanche beliefs, the Native American Church and the Code Talkers, a group that used the Comanche language to encode Army messages during World War II. Interactive exhibits include a buffalohunting video game and a map of Comancheria, the Comanches’ pre-1860s homeland, that changes as visitors walk over it.
Caddo Nation Complex, 117 Memorial Ln., Binger (405) 656-2344
Comanche Shirt Company
caddo.xyz
facebook.com/comancheshirtco
This museum is focused on preserving the cultural traditions of the Caddo people. Visitors can learn what Caddo life was like throughout history, see maps that trace the tribe’s migration and view artifacts like bowls, pots, moccasins and clothing. Visitors should check in at the tribal offices first.
This store sells hand-printed T-shirts, handmade souvenirs and other items that celebrate the history of the area and its tribes. The owners are descendants of famed Comanche war leader Quanah Parker, and the shirts feature the art of another Parker descendant, Quanah Parker Burgess.
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172 E. Lake Dr., Medicine Park | (580) 956-9817
Fort Sill National Historic Landmark & Museum* 435 Quanah Rd., Fort Sill | (580) 442-5123 sill-www.army.mil/museum
This free museum features exhibits and a video about the past of a base that was established in 1869 during the Indian Wars. Visitors can also go inside historic buildings like the cavalry barracks, which are set up as they would have been during the Civil War.
Geronimo’s Grave at Apache Cemetery* Fort Sill | (580) 442-5123
Legendary Apache warrior Geronimo lived out his last years at Fort Sill as a prisoner of war. He is buried in an Apache cemetery at the base along with his wife, daughter and other tribal members. Geronimo’s grave has been the focus of intrigue over the years as stories persist that his skull was stolen by Yale’s Skull and Bones society. The Fort Sill National Historic Landmark & Museum provides maps to help visitors find the grave.
Kiowa Tribal Museum 100 Kiowa Way, Carnegie | (580) 654-2300
Learn about the history of the Kiowa Tribe at this free museum dedicated to preserving, protecting and perpetuating the Kiowa way. The museum has 10 murals painted by Kiowa artists Parker Boyiddle, Sherman Chaddleson and Mirac Creepingbear. There’s also a display of familial teepees along with art, photos, regalia and other items.
McKee’s Indian Store & Susan Peters Gallery 116 W. Main St., Anadarko | (405) 247-7151
Native American jewelry, gifts and Pendleton blankets are available at this store that also sells craft supplies tribal members need to make regalia. The adjoining gallery features works by area tribal members. Vintage pottery and baskets are also on display though not for sale.
Fort Sill National Historic Landmark & Museum, Lawton
Museum of the Great Plains, Lawton
Mohawk Lodge Indian Store Interstate 40 Business, Exit 69, Clinton | (580) 323-2360
Around since 1892, this was one of Indian Territory’s first trading posts. It started as an outlet for Cheyenne women to sell handmade creations, but these days, it’s part museum and part store. The business buys, sells and trades Native American artifacts. It also sells supplies tribal members use to make regalia. Historic photos and museum-quality clothing are on display but not for sale.
Museum of the Great Plains 601 N.W. Ferris Ave., Lawton | (580) 581-3460 discovermgp.org
Explore the human history of the Great Plains at this family-friendly museum located in Elmer Thomas Park. It contains many hands-on exhibits, including a dig site where guests can excavate replica mammoth bones. Visitors can go inside a teepee and learn how it was used or remove pieces from a take-apart bison model to learn how tribes used each part of the animal’s body.
Kiowas Moving Camp by Stephen Mopope, Kiowa Anadarko Post Office
*Those who wish to visit Fort Sill but don’t have military identification will need to stop by the base’s Visitor Control Center for a quick background check and to get a day pass.
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National Hall of Fame for Famous American Indians
The Branded Bear
901 E. Central Blvd., Anadarko | (405) 247-5555
Located in the quaint resort town of Medicine Park, this store offers authentic American Indian jewelry, pottery and art made by members of roughly 25 different tribes, including the Kiowa and Comanche. The store carries items for every budget.
americanindianhof.com
This outdoor attraction was started in 1952 to honor and remember illustrious American Indians. It’s located in Anadarko, which is the capital for seven tribes — more than any other place in America. There are 43 bronze busts of prominent tribal leaders and members from around the country, including Sequoyah, Chief Joseph and Pocahontas.
148 E. Lake Dr., Medicine Park | (580) 529-3656
Washita Battlefield National Historic Site 18555 State Highway 47A Ste. A, Cheyenne (580) 497-2742 nps.gov/waba
Oklahoma Indian Arts & Crafts Cooperative 214 N.W. Second St., Anadarko | (405) 247-3486
Founded in 1955, this little shop is an institution frequented by local tribal members. It features handmade work from western Oklahoma artists, including many from the Kiowa, Comanche and Cheyenne-Arapaho tribes. Specialties include buckskin dresses and other high-quality dance regalia, including moccasins, crowns, purses and German silverwork. The shop accepts only cash or checks.
Sia: The Comanche Nation Eagle Center 106 Looking Glass Way, Cyril | (580) 464-2750 comancheeagle.org
This eagle care center is named Sia for the Comanche word for feather. It holds the first Native American feather repository providing legally produced and held feathers to tribes. Sia is home to a large collection of eagles and hosts educational programs about eagles and the cultural uses of feathers. The center also has many Comanche Nation artifacts. Tours are available by appointment only.
Southern Plains Indian Museum 801 E. Central Blvd., Anadarko | (405) 247-6221
This museum focuses on contemporary native art from the 1940s to present, including sculptures, basketry and beadwork. Its best-known works are four Allan Houser dioramas — the only dioramas completed by the renowned Chiricahua Apache sculptor, painter and book illustrator who was from the nearby town of Apache. Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, Cheyenne
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Visit the site of the 1868 attack on Chief Black Kettle’s Southern Cheyenne village by Lt. Colonel George Custer’s troops. Guests can take self-guided or guided tours of the battlefield while following a 1.5-mile trail. Inside the visitors’ center, a 30-minute film and exhibits explain the events leading up to the battle. Hiawatha National Hall of Fame for Famous American Indians, Anadarko
Plains Indians & Pioneers Museum, Woodward
Northwest
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Red Carpet Country
Cherokee Strip Museum
Fort Supply Historic Site
901 14th St., Alva | (580) 327-2030
1 William S. Key Blvd., Fort Supply (580) 766-3767 | (580) 256-6136
cherokeestripmuseumalva.org
The former Alva General Hospital building is home to a wide-ranging collection of pioneer artifacts with rooms set up to replicate scenes from northwestern Oklahoma’s early days. Themed rooms include a post office, dentist’s office, country kitchen and surgery room. The American Indian exhibits include arrowheads, beadwork and other items, along with paintings by Walt Harris, an Oklahoma artist who is of Otoe-Missouria descent.
Cherokee Strip Museum & Rose Hill School 2617 W. Fir Ave., Perry | (580) 336-2405 cherokee-strip-museum.org
This museum tells the story of the Cherokee Strip, a 60-mile stretch of land just south of the OklahomaKansas border, and the 1893 land run that settled the area. It focuses on rural life and rural communities. An exhibit on the Otoe-Missouria Tribe features beadwork, moccasins, pipes, arrows and primitive tools. The museum’s one-room schoolhouse hosts a popular living-history program where third- and fourth-graders dress in period clothing and go through a day at the school as students would have in 1910.
historic-fort-supply.org
This post was established as a camp in late 1868 in preparation for Gen. Philip Sheridan’s winter campaign against the Southern Plains tribes. It was from Fort Supply that Lt. Col. George A. Custer led the Seventh U.S. Cavalry into the Battle of the Washita, a massacre of Chief Black Kettle’s Cheyenne village. Today, visitors to the free attraction can see five original buildings and a replica of the fort’s 1868 stockade, and the restored guardhouse contains photos and items from the fort’s history.
Kanza Museum 746 Grandview Dr., Kaw City (580) 269-2552 | (866) 404-5297 kawnation.com
With a fascinating mix of items that includes beadwork, regalia and photos along with historic and modern art, this free museum touches on all parts of life as a member of the Kaw Nation. The museum also displays bronze busts of tribal elders and a large collection of items from Fool Chief’s Village, which was the principal village for the tribe after it moved to east Kansas.
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Plains Indians & Pioneers Museum, Woodward
Standing Bear Park, Museum & Education Center 601 Standing Bear Parkway, Ponca City (580) 762-1514 standingbearpark.com
Plains Indians & Pioneers Museum 2009 Williams Ave., Woodward | (580) 256-6136 nwok-pipm.org
Learn about the history of the Plains tribes, including the area’s Cheyenne and Arapaho, at this free museum. Its collection contains many items found at Chief Black Kettle’s Cheyenne village after the Battle of the Washita in 1868, including the chief’s war shield. Among the murals in the museum’s rotunda are two by Pat “Kemoha” Patterson that depict the lifestyles of American Indians in the area.
Sharp’s Pawn and Jewelry 118 S. Second St., Ponca City | (580) 765-8731 sharpsindianstore.com
With one of Oklahoma’s largest selections of Pendleton items and sterling silver and turquoise jewelry, this store is a popular destination for tourists and tribal citizens. It stocks all of the supplies needed for dancers from each tribe to make their own regalia, including beads, hides, fabrics and fringes. There’s also ready-made regalia made in the style of the Southern tribes.
Standing Bear Park, Museum & Education Center, Ponca City
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This beautiful complex honors Chief Standing Bear and six area tribes: the Osage, Pawnee, Otoe-Missouria, Kaw, Tonkawa and Ponca nations. Outside is a stunning, 22-foot bronze statue of Standing Bear, a Ponca chief and Native American civil rights leader. Two miles of walking trails feature interpretive exhibits on each of the six tribes. Inside the free museum, a rotunda holds display cases devoted to each of the six tribes along with bronze, 3-D art pieces depicting each tribe’s seal. Throughout the museum is a wide-ranging art collection featuring traditional pieces, including ledger art, and contemporary work. Paintings, pottery and beadwork are also for sale in the gift shop.
Tonkawa Tribal Museum 10951 Allen Dr., Tonkawa (580) 628-5301 tonkawatribe.com
This free museum holds artifacts from the Tonkawa Tribe, including beadwork, art and textiles, along with historic photos. The museum can also direct guests to nearby Tonkawa and Nez Perce tribal cemeteries and a Nez Perce monument. Chief Joseph and a group of Nez Perce lived near what is present-day Tonkawa for several years after the end of the Nez Perce War. Muster Roll of Indian Scouts Tonkawa Tribal Museum, Tonkawa
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Tribal History & Culture
English Name Traditional Name
Absentee Shawnee Tribe Shaawanwa
Language Family
Central Algonquian
Headquarters: 2025 S. Gordon Cooper Dr., Shawnee (405) 275-4030 | astribe.com
Although the Absentee Shawnee are known to have lived in the eastern United States, it has been documented that they traveled from Canada to Florida, from the Mississippi River to the East Coast before being removed to the areas they now occupy. Originally, the Shawnee lived in the northeastern United States with a large population and land holdings in what is now Ohio. Some relocated to Cape Girardeau, Mo., after receiving a Spanish land grant in 1793. Encroaching colonial settlement persuaded some Cape Girardeau Shawnees to negotiate an 1825 treaty with the U.S. government that ceded their lands in Missouri for a large reservation in Kansas. Several years earlier, a group of Shawnees had left Missouri to begin a journey that would lead them toward territory now known as Texas, then under Spain’s control. This group became known as the Absentee Shawnee. The term stems from a provisional clause in an 1854 treaty regarding surplus Kansas reservation lands set aside for “absent” Shawnees. The outcome of the Texas-Mexico War (18461848) compelled many Absentee Shawnees to leave for Indian Territory, although some are believed to have settled in Oklahoma earlier.
Untitled — Ernest Spybuck
DID YOU KNOW?
Born near Tecumseh in 1883, Absentee Shawnee artist Ernest (sometimes spelled Earnest) Spybuck produced colorful, realistic works that detailed In the late 1800s, the U.S. government forced Absentee Shawnees scenes from native life. Many of settled along the Deep Fork River to leave. This band, now known as the Big his works are now held by the Jim Band, was taken to an area of central Oklahoma known as Hog Creek and Smithsonian Institute’s National Little River, where they were to remain. Another band, now called the White Museum of the American Indian Turkey Band, stayed in Pottawatomie County near Shawnee, Oklahoma. in Washington D.C.
English Name Traditional Name
Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town Albamo Koasati
Language Family
Muskoghean
Headquarters: 101 E. Broadway Ave., Wetumka | (405) 452-3987 | alabama-quassarte.org
The Alabama and Quassarte people each had a distinct identity as a tribal town in their ancestral homelands in the southeastern United States and are closely related culturally to other Muskoghean-speaking peoples. With the encroachment of Europeans, many members of these two groups migrated into Louisiana and Texas in the 1790s and early 1800s. They remain there today as the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana & Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas. The members who did not leave formed an alliance, participating in the Muscogee Confederacy government, and were included in the Removal Act of 1830. The Alabama and Quassarte people settled in Indian Territory in what are now Oklahoma’s Hughes, Okfuskee, McIntosh and Seminole counties. During the 1930s, the groups merged and organized as a tribal town separate from the Creek Nation.
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Apache Tribe
English Name
Na-I-Sha
Traditional Name
Language Family
Southern Athapaskan
Headquarters: 511 E. Colorado Dr., Anadarko | (405) 247-9493 | apachetribe.org
Ancestral Apache split from their larger linguistic family in the Canadian Northwest Territory around 2,000 years ago. They gradually moved into the plains of Canada and later into what is now the southwestern United States. Traditional Apache oral history says the group merged with the Kiowas in the Black Hills region of South Dakota. Because of this close association, the tribes were labeled by the U.S. federal government as the Kiowa-Apache. Suggested dates for the entry of Apacheans onto the Southern Plains and southwestern United States range between A.D. 1300 and 1500. The group has been documented as the Kiowa-Apache, Plains Apache and Ka-ta-ka, but members traditionally refer to themselves as the Na-I-Sha.
Boarding school and mission education resulted in the loss of language ability. The tribe is funding revitalization efforts, but the Apache language is endangered. There are no fluent speakers, though a few with limited speaking ability remain. Tribal societies, ceremonies, traditions, history and songs are maintained; the Apache Blackfoot Dances were revived in the 1950s. Dress & Apron — Birdie Tointigh Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, the University of Oklahoma
By the late 1800s, pioneer pressure diminished game, diseases such as smallpox and cholera ravaged tribal families, communal hunting ways ended, and failed attempts at farming, land division and leasing forever changed the Apaches’ way of life. After a series of treaties, the Apache were forced to a small reservation under the terms of the 1867 Medicine Lodge Treaty.
DID YOU KNOW?
Walking Bear, One Who Is Surrendered and Iron Show signed the first treaty of Fort Gibson in 1837 for the Plains Apaches.
Parfleche bag — Frank Redbone Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, the University of Oklahoma
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Caddo Nation
English Name
Kadohadacho
Traditional Name
Language Family
Caddoan
DID YOU KNOW?
Oklahoma Historical Society
Headquarters: 117 Memorial Ln., Binger | (405) 656-2344 | caddonation-nsn.gov
The Caddo people are known for their earthenware pottery. The ancient Caddo crafted the pieces by hand using locally available materials and fired them in an open fire at relatively low temperatures, perhaps between 600 and 700 degrees Celsius.
Caddo Tribal Dance Group, 1892 (above) Caddo Moccasins and Rattle (right)
As early as A.D. 800, the ancestors of the Caddo people began settling farmstead communities in what are today the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma. Long before first contact with Europeans in the 16th and 17th centuries, a well-governed, populous and prosperous Caddo Nation grew from its ancestral root. The tribe developed earthen mound culture along major rivers; some of these mound sites can still be seen and toured today.
Oklahoma Historical Society
Much of the Caddos’ food resulted from cultivation of the “three sisters” — corn, beans and squash. They also ventured into the plains to hunt buffalo.
and roam the hostile northern Texas area. In 1855, they were moved to a reserve on the Brazos River in Texas that was shared with the Delawares and affiliated Wichita tribes. Then in 1859, after whites slaughtered seven sleeping Caddos, the government led this group, estimated to number 500 people, to Indian Territory. The Brazos Caddos were joined in 1859 by a separate group of Caddos that had settled in southeast Oklahoma.
Contact with European settlers resulted in the spread of diseases and exacted a heavy toll. In 1835, the Caddos in Louisiana were forced to cede their lands
Today, the Caddo Nation preserves, celebrates and shares its culture and heritage via a large repertoire of songs and dances and the Caddo Heritage Museum.
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English Name Traditional Name
Cherokee Nation Aniyunwiya
Language Family
Iroquoian
Headquarters: 17675 S. Muskogee Ave., Tahlequah | (918) 453-5000 | cherokee.org
The Cherokee Nation is the largest tribal nation in the United States with more than 380,000 tribal citizens throughout the world. Its capital is in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.
The tribal government rebuilt itself by re-establishing schools and courts in present-day Oklahoma, where thanks to the Cherokee people’s perseverance, the tribe began to once again thrive.
The Cherokee Nation’s original homelands encompassed much of the present-day southeastern United States around the southern Appalachian Mountain range, including parts of Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama.
Culture, history, language and arts are preserved and promoted through the tribe’s robust tourism offerings, which include five museums, eight retail operations and two welcome centers. Each historic site shares the history of the Cherokee people and allows visitors to learn more about the Cherokee Nation today.
Despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of Cherokee authority, the Indian Removal Act passed Congress by one vote and was signed into law by President Andrew Jackson in 1838. Of approximately 16,000 Cherokees who were forced to make the journey to Indian Territory, about 4,000 died from disease, starvation and exposure to the elements along the historic Trail of Tears.
The tribe currently has a $2.16 billion impact on the state. It is one of the largest employers in northeastern Oklahoma with more than 11,500 employees supporting a variety of tribal enterprises ranging from aerospace and defense contracts to entertainment venues. It continues to grow and diversify its businesses in order to support vital services to its citizens.
John Ross, Cherokee Nation Chief, 1828-1866
DID YOU KNOW?
In 2018, Cherokee Nation partnered with Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine to establish the first tribally affiliated medical school in the country. Through the school, the tribe will recruit, train and hire doctors. Stickball — Cherokee Heritage Center, Tahlequah
Oklahom
a Historic
al Society
Anna Mitchell, Cherokee pottery artist Cherokee
Nation
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TravelOK.com
English Name Traditional Name
Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes Tsistsistas and Hiinonon ’ei
Harvey Pratt, Cheyenne and Arapaho Artist
Language Family
Algonquian
Headquarters: 100 Red Moon Cir., Concho (405) 262-0345 | c-a-tribes.org
The Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes have a long history as allies and friends. When bands of the two tribes were placed together on an Oklahoma reservation, an even closer collaboration began. Prehistory of the Arapaho homelands was in parts of the Great Lakes Region along the Mississippi River. Over time, the Arapaho migrated west and adapted to the Central Great Plains, occupying lands in South Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma. The Cheyenne were originally a sedentary people who grew crops as their main food source as they lived along the head of the Mississippi River in the central part of what is now the state of Minnesota. As Plains Indians who followed the buffalo, they retain ties to their traditional homelands, culture and lifestyle. Encroachment by settlers from the mid-1800s onward caused ongoing struggles for both the Cheyenne and the Arapaho, including broken treaties, broken promises and the vagaries of the reservation system. Later, the chicanery surrounding the disastrous Dawes Act often resulted in societal and cultural devastation and tragedy. Over the last 80 years, the Cheyenne and Arapaho have worked hard to recover their culture and heritage. The Arapahos engage in powwows and continue to be involved with their Northern Arapaho brethren through ceremonies in Wyoming such as the Sun Dance and other private rituals. The Cheyenne continue traditions such as the Sun Dance as well, and many take part in annual powwows. Rendering of National Native American Verterans Memorial, Washington D.C.
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DID YOU KNOW? Cheyenne and Arapaho citizen Harvey Pratt is one of the nation’s most accomplished forensic artists. His “Warriors’ Circle of Honor” has been selected in a design contest for the National Native American Veterans Memorial that will be constructed in Washington D.C.
John Herrington, Chickasaw Citizen and Mission Specialist — Space Shuttle Endeavor
English Name Traditional Name
Chickasaw Nation Chikasha
Language Family
Western Muskogean
Headquarters: 520 E. Arlington St., Ada | (580) 436-2603 | chickasaw.net
From the Chickasaws’ prehistoric migration to what is now Mississippi, Kentucky, Alabama and Tennessee to their forced removal to Indian Territory beginning in 1837, their culture is rooted deep in traditions and cultural identity.
executive, legislative and judicial departments with offices filled by popular election.
Before and after the Chickasaws’ first contact with the Hernando de Soto expedition in December 1540, Chickasaw communities were scattered across the forest and prairies of their southeastern homeland. Waterways and trails offered routes for expeditions, trade, hunting and military actions. Possessing a complex social structure, Chickasaws conducted successful trade with other tribes, early Europeans and Americans.
Chickasaws also established some of the first banks and businesses in Indian Territory. The Chickasaw Nation’s tenacity and leadership is a direct result of its mission to enhance the Chickasaw people’s quality of life.
Following passage of the Indian Removal Act, Chickasaws were forced to remove from their homelands by the U.S. government. The 1837 Treaty of Doaksville called for resettlement of the Chickasaws among the Choctaw Nation in Indian Territory. In 1855, the Chickasaws separated from the Choctaws, and the Chickasaws formed their own government the following year. Tribal leaders established the capital at Tishomingo, adopted a constitution and organized
The Chickasaw people built some of the first schools, academies and institutes in Indian Territory.
Today, the Chickasaw Nation continues to enhance its citizens’ lives while celebrating, preserving and sharing its vibrant culture and traditions. The Chickasaw Cultural Center in Sulphur, Oklahoma, is a premiere attraction for showcasing everything it means to be Chickasaw for all to enjoy.
DID YOU KNOW?
Chickasaw Light Horsemen patrolled and protected the Chickasaw people and resources as early as 1840. They had authority over all Native Americans to stop lawlessness and would detain non-Native Americans until U.S. Marshals arrived. Today, the Chickasaw Lighthorse Police remain committed to protecting the lives and property of the Chickasaw Nation. Chickasaw Cultural Center, Sulphur
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English Name Traditional Name
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Chahta
Language Family
Western Muskoghean
Headquarters: 1802 Chukka Hina Dr., Durant (800) 522-6170 | choctawnation.com
Choctaw origin stories describe Nanih Waiya, located in what is now Winston County, Miss., as the birthplace of Choctaw society. The Choctaw homeland includes most of present-day Mississippi and parts of Louisiana and Alabama. For thousands of years, the ancestors of today’s Choctaw people farmed and hunted, though their communities changed and adapted through time. Spanish conquistadors landed on the Gulf Coast in the early 1500s. For several decades, Choctaw people intermittently faced waves of European diseases and Spanish military invasions. In part because of Choctaw military resistance, the Spanish left. The Choctaw homeland was not entered by large groups of Europeans again until the French came in the late 1600s. During the interim, the Choctaws adopted many survivors from other tribes. Formal relations with the United States began in 1786. The Choctaw served as the United States’ military allies in the War of 1812 and the Creek War. Soon after, Choctaws requested missionaries and schools. By the 1820s, many Choctaws had become wealthy. White society coveted their land. Choctaw Nation Museum — Tvshka Humma (Red Warrior) statue, Tuskahoma
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Choctaw Nation Museum, Tuskahoma
The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek in 1830 set up the removal of most Choctaws to Oklahoma Territory, a 500-mile journey through frozen forests and diseasestricken swamps. It is estimated that one-quarter of the people died on the trip. The years of resettlement were trying ones, but the Choctaw adopted a new constitution in 1834 and built a council house at Nvnih Waiya, Oklahoma. In 1897, the Dawes Commission negotiated the extinction of tribal governments, and most tribally owned lands were distributed among tribal members. Remaining lands were opened to white settlement. Over the years, the Oklahoma Choctaw recovered their governance and economic footing. They are preserving their heritage and culture with events such as an annual festival and sites such as the Choctaw Nation Museum.
DID YOU KNOW? In 1847, Choctaw citizens raised money for the Irish people after learning of the Great Famine. Today, a statue in Midleton, Ireland, honors that kindness. Known as Kindred Spirits, the work features nine feathers forming a bowl shape.
Kindred Spirits — Cork, Ireland
Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center, Shawnee
English Name Traditional Name
Citizen Potawatomi Nation Bodewadmi/Nishnabé
Language Family
Algonquian
Headquarters: 1601 S. Gordon Cooper Dr., Shawnee (405) 275-3121 | potawatomi.org
The Potawatomi were a powerful Great Lakes nation that controlled millions of acres in what are now Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio. Culturally and linguistically, they are connected to the Ojibwe and the Odawa forming the Nishnabé (the Original People). Traditionally, they form an alliance known as the Three Fires. The Bodewadmi are the “Keepers of the Fire,” and the word Potawatomi means “People of the Place of the Fire.” The Potawatomi were one of the initial tribes to forge both a business and kindred bond with the French, controlling much of the northern fur trade during the 1700s. The Potawatomi fiercely resisted Anglo encroachment and proved to be formidable opponents to the English and Americans. By the end of the 18th century, tribal villages were being displaced by white settlements. Through a series of treaties beginning in 1789, Potawatomi land was dramatically reduced in size.
DID YOU KNOW?
With the passage of the 1830 Indian Removal Act, the tribe was forcibly removed west of the Mississippi to a reservation in eastern Kansas. In 1861, the Potawatomi signed a treaty with the United States officially dividing the tribe. The signers wanted to sell portions of the reservation and have their land allotted, while the other group (Prairie Band) desired to hold the land in common. Stipulations required the treaty’s signers to surrender tribal membership and take U.S. citizenship. These Potawatomi became some of the first American Indians granted citizenship, and that group became the foundation for the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. In 1867, the Citizen Potawatomi signed another treaty allowing tribal members to sell their allotments and use the proceeds to purchase lands in Indian Territory, resettling in the area surrounding Shawnee. Today, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation is preserving and perpetuating its heritage with a cultural heritage center.
The Citizen Potawatomi Nation owns the First National Bank and Trust Co., the largest tribally owned bank in the United States. Based in Shawnee, the bank has branches throughout central and southwestern Oklahoma.
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Comanche National Museum & Cultural Center — Comanche War Bonnet, Lawton
English Name Traditional Name
Comanche Nation Numunah
Language Family
Uto-Aztecan Headquarters: 584 N.W. Bingo Rd., Lawton (580) 492-3240 | comanchenation.com
Archaeologists trace Comanche origins to the western Great Basin in the far northwest United States. The nomadic Comanche migrated and eventually arrived on the Great Plains, where in their heyday, they were known as the “Lords of the Plains,” renowned for their horsemanship and shrewd trading prowess. Eventually, the Comanche dominated trade on the Southern Plains and participated in a trade network that connected the Mississippi River Valley with the Rockies and Texas with the Missouri River. A close relationship with the Kiowas is thought to have begun sometime around 1800. Pressure from white settlement of the plains increased after the Civil War’s end. Treaty councils, ongoing reduction of the lands they controlled and increased military pressure brought economic collapse and forced the Comanche onto a reservation. By then, their population had fallen to about 1,600. The reservation system led to drastic changes in their culture, and the ensuing 1901 allotment devastated the tribe. By the time of the Indian New Deal, also known as the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, half of the Comanche were landless. Over the next few decades, the Comanche worked to recover, sharing a joint constitution and business committee with the Plains Apaches and Kiowa from 1936 to 1963. Today, numerous events honor the many Comanche veterans — including the Code Talkers, who used their native language to relay military information during World War II. The Comanche also have a variety of dance associations, a language and cultural preservation committee, a historic preservation office, and a museum and cultural center.
DID YOU KNOW? Comanche Nation Fair, Lawton
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Born in 1852, Comanche leader Quanah Parker served as the tribe’s last official principal chief. Parker became well known as a progressive statesman who was also an advocate for preserving Comanche culture.
English Name Traditional Name
Delaware Nation Lenape
Language Family
Eastern Algonquian
Headquarters: 31064 State Highway 281 Building 100, Anadarko (405) 247-2448 | delawarenation-nsn.gov
The Delaware, whose aboriginal name is Lenape or Lenni-Lenape, were originally located in New Jersey, New York, Delaware and Pennsylvania. Delaware is the Anglo name given based on their location near or on lands given to one Lord De La Warr. According to their language, Lenape is the name of the people. Pushed by colonists to the Midwest, they signed 12 treaties between 1795 and 1830, surrendering land in Indiana, Ohio and Missouri. The Delaware moved again, with one group settling on a reservation in Kansas and the other being removed to southwest Missouri. In 1820, the Missouri group, known as Absentee Delaware, entered Spanish Texas and received a land grant from DID Spanish authorities. In 1839, land was YOU set aside for them on the Brazos River, but Texas settlers demanded the tribe KNOW? be removed to Indian Territory.
English Name Traditional Name
In 1859, the Delaware settled near present-day Fort Cobb, Oklahoma, on a reserve they shared with the Caddos and Wichitas. After allotment, though, many pieces of land passed out of the tribe’s hands because of pressures from assimilation. Today, tribal members are working to preserve as much of their culture as possible. They participate with the Caddo and Wichita in dances and play Indian football to open their spring ceremonial season.
The Delaware were one of the first nations to have contact with the Europeans, and the first treaty between the United States and an Indian nation was signed with the Delaware at Fort Pitt., Pennsylvania on Sept. 17, 1778.
Delaware Tribe of Indians Lenape
Language Family
Eastern Algonquian
Headquarters: 5100 Tuxedo Blvd., Bartlesville | (918) 337-6590 | delawaretribe.org
Historically, Delaware territory extended along the Delaware and Hudson river valleys in what are today New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New York. The name Delaware was given to the people who lived along the Delaware River. The tribe calls itself Lenape, which means something like “The Original People.”
had established settlements in what would become Ohio and western Pennsylvania. The last Delaware resistance to U.S. expansion ended in 1795. Throughout the 19th century, the main body of the Delaware was continually forced westward, eventually to northeastern portions of the Cherokee Nation in what is now eastern Oklahoma.
The Delaware Tribe was respected as peacemakers, and other tribes still remember the Delaware as the “Grandfathers.” But they were also known for fierceness and tenacity when fighting became necessary. Many early battles and subsequent treaties were carried out by the Delaware with Dutch, and later, English settlers, who encroached on Delaware lands.
One small band of Delaware left in the late 1700s and through different migrations is today located at Anadarko, Oklahoma. Another small group was later relocated to join the Stockbridge Munsee Band near Bowler, Wisc. Small contingents fled to Canada during a time of persecution in the Ohio settlements and today occupy three reserves in Ontario.
By the time the American Revolution began, most Delaware had been removed from their homelands and
The Delaware Tribe maintains ties to its heritage through cultural activities and language preservation.
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English Name Traditional Name
Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma Saawanwaki
Language Family
Central Algonquian
Headquarters: 12755 S. 705 Rd., Wyandotte | (918) 666-2435 | estoo-nsn.gov
The Eastern Shawnee Tribe is one of three federally recognized Shawnee tribes. The group was originally a nomadic Eastern Woodland tribe centered in Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, Georgia and Pennsylvania. The Eastern band, known as the Mixed Band of Seneca/Shawnee, was removed from Ohio in 1832 and relocated to Indian Territory in what is today Ottawa County, Oklahoma.
DID YOU KNOW?
Born in what is now Ohio in 1768, Shawnee leader Tecumseh worked to unite tribes around the country. He fought with the British in the War of 1812 and was killed during the Battle of the Thames in 1813.
English Name Traditional Name
In 1867, the Mixed Band split with the federal government. The Seneca were designated as Seneca-Cayuga, and the Shawnee received the name “the Eastern Shawnee.” Tribal headquarters in northeastern Oklahoma straddle the OklahomaMissouri border. Tribal members take part in powwow and Stomp Dance culture. The Eastern Band of Shawnees, known as the Spring River People, lost their ceremonies but not their culture, which is taking care of their people. Eastern Shawnees may participate in their sister Shawnee tribes at White Oak or Little Axe. Each summer the tribe hosts two powwows at its powwow grounds.
Euchee (Yuchi) Tribe of Indians Tsoyaha
Language Family
Unrelated to any known language. Oklah oma
Headquarters: 23 N. Main St., Sapulpa
rical Socie ty
In the 1700s, the Euchee became geographically and militarily associated with Creekspeaking towns in present-day Georgia and Alabama. They were forced to move west to Indian Territory along with the Creeks in the 1830s. The Euchee then established their present settlements in the northern and northwestern portions of the Creek Nation.
Histo
The original homelands of the Euchee (also spelled Yuchi) were in the southeastern United States. At first contact with Europeans, the group resided in autonomous communities in what is now eastern Tennessee, but during the colonial period the Euchee established settlements throughout the southeastern United States.
Yuchi Chief S.W. Brown 1952
The Euchee are organized around ceremonial grounds known as Polecat, Duck Creek and Sand Creek. Each settlement is led by a traditional town chief known as the P’athl’ and continues to hold an annual series of ceremonies at its square-ground site. The Euchee have strongly asserted their identity as a distinct people separate from the Creek or any other people. Euchee culture is preserved in distinctive funeral rituals, foods, storytelling, clothing, customs and in the use of the Euchee language. Few fluent elder speakers remain, but adults and children are learning the language through ongoing classes. The tribe’s yearly rituals include Indian football games in the spring, followed by a series of Stomp Dances, summer’s Arbor Dance, the Green Corn Ceremony and the Soup Dance.
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DID YOU KNOW?
Oklahoma Indian Country Guide
The name “Yuchi” has been translated by some historians to mean “situated yonder or over there.” It’s not a Euchee word and is thought to perhaps have been the response to the question “Who are you?” or “Where do you come from?” The Euchee call themselves “Tsoyaha” or “children of the sun.”
English Name Traditional Name
Fort Sill Apache Tribe Ndé
Language Family
Southern Athapaskan
Headquarters: 43187 U.S. Highway 281, Apache (580) 588-2298 | fortsillapache-nsn.gov
The Fort Sill Apache are the Chiricahua Apache and Warm Springs Apache nation. Their original territory covered much of southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. Their long efforts to retain their homelands under leaders such as Mangas Coloradas, Cochise, Victorio, Loco, Naiche and Geronimo distinguished them from other Apache nations. Skills developed over generations resisting Spain, Mexico and later the United States did not prevent the population from dropping from several thousand to around 500 by 1886. Rounded up and shipped away in 1886, the tribe was held at U.S. Army installations in Florida and then Alabama. In 1894, it became the last American Indian group relocated to Oklahoma Territory. Apache prisoners of war were told Fort Sill would be their permanent home. After surrounding lands were allotted, Lawton was established and the state of Oklahoma was organized, local politicians, business leaders and Army officials wanted to keep Fort Sill. They began efforts to remove the prisoners of war. The Chiricahua were pressured to leave as a condition for freedom, but many held out for return to their homeland or allotment at Fort Sill. Some agreed to join the Mescalero Apache Tribe on their New Mexico reservation. Of the 261 survivors of the 28-year imprisonment, 180 joined the Mescalero Apache while 81 were placed on unused allotments from the old Kiowa, Comanche and Apache reservation, mostly scattered around the Oklahoma towns of Apache and Fletcher. Referred to as the Fort Sill Apache, the allotted tribal members adjusted to southwestern Oklahoma’s rural economy. They declined to organize under the Indian Reorganization Act in the 1930s. They filed under the Indian Claims Commission for lands and resources taken away from them and resisted a 1950s effort to terminate the tribe. Following settlement of the land claims in the mid-1970s, the tribe organized under a constitution. It has acquired small pieces of land in Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona. A gaming facility in Lawton, Oklahoma has allowed significant development of programs to help tribal members. The Fort Sill Apache Dance of the Mountain Spirits at the tribe’s annual dance in September are among efforts to maintain traditions.
DID YOU KNOW? World-renowned sculptor Allan C. Houser, who died in 1994, was the first baby born to a Fort Sill Apache family after the end of captivity in 1914. Houser’s work can be seen in several places in Oklahoma, including Tulsa’s Gilcrease Museum and the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City.
“The Unconquered” — Allan C. Houser Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
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English Name Traditional Name
Iowa Tribe Bah-Kho-Je
Language Family
Chiwere Siouan
Headquarters: 335588 E. 750 Rd., Perkins (405) 547-2402 | bahkhoje.com
Iowa Tribe’s Grey Snow Eagle House, Perkins
Iowa lands once encompassed an area of the Missouri and Mississippi river valleys in what are presently Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska. However, the tribe lived for the majority of its recorded history in what is now the state of Iowa. The Iowa originally had a Woodlands culture but adopted elements of the Plains culture because of their migration south and west. The tribe relocated many times. For many years, it maintained a village near Council Bluffs, Iowa, but abandoned it because of Sioux aggression and a desire to locate closer to French traders. Thereafter, the Iowa lived primarily near the Des Moines River on the Chariton/Grand River Basin. With encroachment of Euro-Americans, the Iowa Tribe ceded its lands in 1824 and was given two years to vacate. Additional lands were ceded in 1836 and 1838, and the tribe was removed to near the Kansas-Nebraska border. This tribe that had once roamed a six-state area was now confined to an area 10 miles wide and 20 miles long. Subsequent treaties would reduce lands even further. Dissatisfaction with their treatment resulted in a number of Iowa tribal members leaving the Kansas-Nebraska reserve in 1878 and moving to Indian Territory. An 1883 executive order created a reservation in Indian Territory, but those who wished to remain on the Kansas-Nebraska reserve were allowed to do so. The two groups are recognized as separate entities. The Northern Iowa are headquartered in White Cloud, Kansas, while the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma offices in Perkins, Oklahoma. The Iowa hold an annual powwow in the summer and adhere to other cultural practices such as the Gourd Dance. An Iowa tribal member at an early post office, Oklahoma City
DID YOU KNOW? Phoebe O’Dell was the first woman elected as chairman of the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma. She held office from 2003 to 2005.
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English Name Traditional Name
Kaw Nation Kanza
Language Family
Dhegiha Siouan
Headquarters: 698 Grandview Dr., Kaw City | (580) 269-2552 | kawnation.com
Kaw Nation oral history suggests original homelands around the Great Lakes, but by the mid-1800s the Kanza were the predominant tribe in what was to become Kansas, named after the Kanza Nation. Their territory extended over most of northern and eastern Kansas with hunting grounds extending into the West. Euro-American intruders coveted the tribe’s lands along the Missouri and Kansas rivers, and treaties undermined the tribe and its culture. Over time, the tribe’s 20-million-acre domain was reduced to 80,000 of the poorest acres and sub-divided into 40-acre plots for each family at present-day Council Grove, Kansas. Promised annuities were seldom delivered or were obligated to unscrupulous traders, while disease decimated the tribe. In 1872, over the strong protests of Chief Allegawaho and his people, a federal act moved the Kanza to a 100,137-acre site in northern Kay County, Oklahoma.
DID YOU KNOW?
From a population of several thousand, the Kaw declined through disease and starvation to 1,500 by 1800 and to 194 by 1887. The Kaw Allotment Act of 1902 legally obliterated the tribe until federal reorganization in 1959. The Kaw Nation survived adversity and today is growing stronger as a federally recognized, self-governing tribe recovering its cultural heritage and working to preserve and revive its language. The tribe built the Kanza Museum and hosts an annual Oklahoma Powwow at Washunga Bay powwow grounds. Bust of Charles Curtis, National Hall of Fame for Famous American Indians, Anadarko
In 1929, Kaw Nation citizen, Charles Curtis, rose to the office of vice president of the United States under President Herbert Hoover. Curtis, who grew up in Kansas, spent part of his childhood on a Kaw reservation and as an adult received an allotment in Oklahoma.
English Name Traditional Name
Kialegee Tribal Town Kialegee
Language Family
Muskoghean
Headquarters: 100 Kialegee Dr., Wetumka | (405) 752-3262 | kialegeetribal.webstarts.com
The Kialegee were one of about 50 towns of the Muscogee (Creek) Confederacy, with homelands in what are now Alabama and Georgia. Culturally, Kialegee Tribal Town is close to the Muscogee people, but politically the two groups constitute separate entities. Like the Muscogee, the Kialegee were mound-builders and sun-worshipers. After a series of treaties with the United States and pressure to leave their homelands, 166 Kialegee families trekked to Indian Territory in the 1830s. After removal, members lived south of present-day Henryetta, Oklahoma. With the allotment of individual lands after 1899, many citizens could be found farther west near Wetumka, Oklahoma. Assimilation and allotment took its toll on the culture and over the years led to a transfer of land ownership to whites. When offered separate federal recognition in 1936, the Kialegee accepted. Today, members of the Kialegee Town celebrate an annual Kialegee Nettv Day in recognition of their history and heritage, and the elders strive to instill the language, culture and traditions in younger generations.
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English Name Traditional Name
Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma Ki Ka Pua
Language Family
Central Algonquian
Headquarters: 105365 State Highway 102, McLoud (405) 964-2075 | kickapootribeofoklahoma.com
Kickapoo homelands were originally in the Great Lakes region, but a slow migration of the population out of the region came sometime after 1400. Sometime after the mid-1700s, the tribe split into different bands. Each band signed a separate cessation of Illinois lands in a treaty with the United States in 1819, although not all adhered and eventually some were removed forcibly. An 1832 treaty moved the Kickapoo to a 12-square-mile reservation in Kansas. After the Civil War, railroad promoters used political connections to swindle the Kickapoo out of their lands. In disgust, some Kickapoo went to Mexico to join tribal members who had moved there earlier. Others accepted allotments and lost them, and still others stayed on their diminished lands. Beginning in 1873, about half the tribe moved to a 100,000-acre reservation in Indian Territory. In 1891, an attorney committed outright fraud, producing an allotment document that sold “surplus� tribal lands. This led to tribal division and more Kickapoo migrating to Mexico. Only gradually did some begin to return in the 1920s. In 1997, representatives from Kickapoo groups in Kansas, Oklahoma and Mexico met in Kansas for a summit, the first time the three were together since the 1800s. The Kickapoo aggressively preserve their culture, with many practicing traditional rituals and ways of life. Today, many tribal members speak both English and Kickapoo.
Kickapoo Wickiup (Hut), 1963
Oklahoma Historical Society
DID YOU KNOW? The Kickapoo were the first Indians to greet the Lewis and Clark expedition as it departed St. Louis in 1804.
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Oklahoma Historical Society
English Name Traditional Name
Kiowa Tribe Caiugu (Principal People)
Language Family
Tanoan
Headquarters: 100 Kiowa Way, Carnegie | (580) 654-2300 | kiowatribe.org
Kiowa oral tradition says their origins were in the far north, in the Yellowstone area or possibly even Canada. They were nomadic Plains Indians and excellent horsemen, and their livelihood depended on following and hunting the buffalo. Gradually, the tribe migrated east and south through the Black Hills and later to Colorado and Nebraska. In 1790, the Kiowa made a peace treaty with the Comanche. The tribes remained allies in the coming years. The Kiowa first encountered Euro-American encroachment in 1820 and signed their first treaty with the United States at Fort Gibson in 1837. As the United States sought to connect the two coasts with railroads, treaties increasingly confined the Kiowa farther south to Kansas and eventually to Oklahoma, where they were put on lands with the Comanche and Apache in 1868. Tribal members resisted this confinement, and it took military action to enforce peace. The United States established Fort Sill, and after an attack on a wagon train in 1881, the United States sent Kiowa leaders Satank, Satanta and Big Tree to prison.
Vanessa Jennings, Kiowa Artist
Eventually, the U.S. military forced the tribe into reservation life. In 1892, the Jerome Commission dictated the terms of allotment to the Kiowa, opening the tribe’s remaining two million acres of land to settlement. Commission members forged tribal signatures on the final agreement. Non-Indian invaders flooded the Kiowa lands, and the boarding school and other assimilation policies wrought havoc on their culture.
Kiowa Leader Henry Tennydooah, 1961
The Kiowa began recovering after the Indian New Deal in the 1930s. They created a tribal government in 1940 and today keep their culture and heritage alive with clubs, fairs and festivals. The resurgence of the Kiowa Black Leggings Warrior Society and Kiowa Gourd Clan further the preservation and restoration.
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English Name Traditional Name
Miami Tribe of Oklahoma Myaamia
Language Family
Central Algonquian
Headquarters: 3410 P. St. N.W., Miami (918) 541-1300 | miamination.com
Miami Moccasins Oklahoma Historical Society
The Miami first emerged as a distinct and different people near South Bend, Indiana. Their homelands include what are today Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, lower Michigan and lower Wisconsin. They shared this landscape with many other indigenous peoples, including the Wyandot, Delaware, Shawnee, Potawatomi, Ojibwa and Kickapoo. In the 1600s, the Miami, who numbered in the tens of thousands, began having frequent contact with Europeans. Over the next two centuries, Euro-American encroachment, war and disease took a high toll. A series of treaties with the United States required the Miami to cede their homelands. In 1840, the tribe signed a treaty calling for their removal to west of the Mississippi River. In 1846, after attempts to avoid the devastating move, the Miami were herded at gunpoint
DID YOU KNOW? The word “Miami,” used all over Oklahoma, Kansas and the Midwest, comes from “Myaamia,” which means the “downstream people.”
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T.F. Richardville, Chief of the Miamis Oklahoma Indian Country Guide Oklahoma Historical Society
into canal boats to begin the journey to a reservation near what later became La Cygne, Kansas. By then, tribal members only numbered in the hundreds. The Miami remained in these lands until 1873, when the tribe was forcibly relocated into Indian Territory. By the time the tribe reached what would become Oklahoma, fewer than 100 adult tribal members remained. Allotment policy dealt yet another blow, and eventually the Miami were landless. Today, the Miami are growing their land base and revitalizing their cultural identity by running their own library, archive, cultural and natural resources offices and other programs. Each year, the tribe hosts its National Gathering, which includes a powwow. Indigenous — Katrina Mitten, Miami Artist
Captain Jack, Chief of the Modoc
Library of Congress
English Name Traditional Name
Modoc Tribe Modokni Maklaks
Language Family
Penutian
Headquarters: 22 N. Eight Tribes Trl., Miami | (918) 542-1190 | modocnation.com
The Modoc Nation is a federally recognized tribe whose members were forcibly removed as prisoners of war to what was then known as Indian Territory. The Modoc ancestral homelands include 9.75 million acres of diverse terrain along the California-Oregon border. Known as K’mukamts kailala (“Where our creator made the world”), this land is the tribe’s place of origin dating back to 14,000 years. Present-day Modoc County, California, is named after the tribe. California’s first govern or, Peter Burnett, proclaimed in 1851 “that a war of extermination will continue to be waged between the races until the Indian race becomes extinct.” This proclamation and the killing of many Modocs lead to the signing of the Treaty of 1864, placing the Modoc on the Klamath Indian Reservation. The oppression faced by the Modocs ignited into what would famously become the Modoc War of 1872-1873, where President Ulysses S. Grant and Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman sought the “utter extermination of the Modocs.” This was the most costly of all of the United States Indian Wars in terms of lives lost and money spent, and could have been avoided by establishing a reservation in the Modoc homelands that was valued at $10,000.
The Modoc War, led by Captain Jack and some 68 warriors, lasted nearly a year. It ended with the execution of Captain Jack and three other leaders. The remaining 153 Modoc were forcibly herded on to rail cars used for hauling cattle on a 2,300-mile journey to the Quapaw Agency in present-day northeastern Oklahoma. Attempts to exterminate the Modoc and their way of life continued by withholding of funds and immunizations, leading to excessively high infant and child mortality. The Modocs were encouraged to “marry into other peaceful tribes” with the hope of losing their Modoc identity. Though they suffered greatly, the Modoc refused to be exterminated. The Modoc Nation, as the tribe is referred to today, has citizens in 22 states with the largest concentration in Oklahoma, California and Oregon.
DID YOU KNOW? Kintpuash, known as Captain Jack, and Schontchish, known as Schonchin John, were treaty signers and chiefs during the Modoc War. Following the war, they and two other Modoc men, Te-te-tea-us (Black Jim) and Boshtinaga (Boston Charlie), were convicted in a military tribunal for war crimes as a result of the killing of Gen. E.R.S. Canby, the only U.S. general killed in the Indian Wars. The men were executed by hanging. Modoc people in their new home, Undated
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English Name Traditional Name
Muscogee (Creek) Nation Mvskoke
Language Family
Mvskoke
Headquarters: U.S. Highway 75 & S. 56 Loop, Okmulgee (800) 482-1979 | mcn-nsn.gov
The Muscogee (Creek) people are descendants of a remarkable culture that before 1500 spanned much of what is now the southeastern United States. The Muscogee’s early ancestors constructed magnificent earthen pyramids along the rivers and later built expansive towns within these broad river valleys. Their union of several tribes evolved into a confederacy that was once one of the most sophisticated political organizations north of Mexico. Member tribes were called tribal towns, and each maintained political autonomy and distinct land holdings. The Europeans’ arrival dramatically changed the Muscogee Confederacy. In the early 19th century, U.S. policy focused on removal of the tribes to west of the Mississippi River. In the removal treaty of 1832, Muscogee leadership exchanged the last of cherished ancestral homelands for lands in Indian Territory. While some Muscogee settled in the new homeland after an 1827 treaty, severing ties to their land proved impossible for the majority. In 1836 and 1837, the U.S. Army forced the removal of more than 20,000 Muscogee to Indian Territory. Tribal towns were reestablished, and the nation began to experience a new prosperity until the Civil War. The majority desired neutrality, but it proved impossible. Muscogee citizens fought on both sides. In the late 1800s, the Dawes Commission began negotiating with the Muscogee Nation for the allotment of the national domain. In 1898, the U.S. Congress passed the Curtis Act dismantling the national governments of the Five Tribes, and allotment became inevitable. In the 1970s, the Muscogee people began pursuing their rights to maintain a national court system and levy taxes. Today, the Muscogee people are actively engaged in the process of accepting and asserting the rights and responsibilities of a sovereign nation, as well as knowing and preserving their distinct cultural heritage.
Dana Tiger, Muscogee (Creek) Artist
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Chitto Harjo Oklahoma Historical Society
English Name Traditional Name
Osage Nation Ni-O-Kan-Ska
Language Family
Dhegiha Siouan
Headquarters: 627 Grandview Ave., Pawhuska | (918) 287-5555 | osagenation-nsn.gov
Osage Nation culture was the foundation for the Mississippian culture of the midcontinent and southeast region, centered around Cahokia in Illinois. The written record of the Osage started in 1673, when French traders and explorers began to document their encounters with them in what would become Missouri. The Osage are a Siouan people. At the time of European contact, the Osage were semi-nomadic, living in villages along rivers throughout Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas and Arkansas. They are a Prairie-Plains tribe whose economy was focused on horticulture, hunting and trade.
The Osage still sustain their cultural traditions such as participating in dances, feasts and naming ceremonies. The Osage still recognize their three traditional districts — Grayhorse, Hominy and Pawhuska. The Osage Nation also maintains the oldest tribally owned museum in the United States.
DID YOU KNOW?
The Osage Nation occupies the only federally recognized reservation in Oklahoma.
In 1825, the Osage were settled on a reservation in Kansas. This removal and other U.S. government policies caused disease and starvation, devastating the Osage population. In 1865, the Osage negotiated a treaty to purchase land in Oklahoma. They moved to what is now Osage County by 1873.
English Name Traditional Name
Otoe-Missouria Tribe Jiwere Nutache
Language Family
Siouan
Headquarters: 8151 U.S. Highway 177, Red Rock (580) 723-4466 | omtribe.org
7 Clans First Council Casino, Resort & Waterpark, Newkirk Photo by Lester Harragarra
The story of the confederated tribes of Otoe and Missouria, once two separate groups, began centuries ago when a mass of people located near the Great Lakes withdrew from their parent stock and departed on a quest.
Under the terms of an 1881 act, northern Otoe-Missouria were removed to a 129,000-acre reservation north of what is today Stillwater, Oklahoma. The reservation officially ended in 1904 with the Dawes Act’s implementation.
The Otoe resided near the Platte River in Nebraska; the Missouria were on the Grand River in what is now Missouri. In 1804, Lewis and Clark visited the Otoe, paving the way for the flood of Europeans. With them came a peculiar and lasting relationship between the Otoe-Missouria and the U.S. government.
Today, tribal members continue traditions with feasts, dances and an annual encampment held in July.
A treaty period began with the treaty of 1817, negotiated to promote peace and friendship between the tribe and its neighbors. The two tribes reunited about this time as the Missouria population was down to little more than 100 members because of ongoing warfare with neighboring tribes. The Otoe-Missouria Tribe has since been recognized by other tribes and by the federal government as one people.
DID YOU KNOW? In the summer of 1804, the Otoe and Missouria were the first tribes to hold government-to-government council with Lewis and Clark in the explorers’ official roles as representatives of President Thomas Jefferson. Today, statues representing the meeting stand in front of the tribe’s 7 Clans First Council Casino, Resort & Waterpark in Newkirk.
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English Name Traditional Name
Ottawa Tribe Adawe
Language Family
Algonquian
Headquarters: 13 State Highway 69A, Miami | (918) 540-1536 | ottawatribe.org
Historically, the Ottawa ranged over parts of Ontario and the Great Lakes region. Their homelands contain one of the oldest prehistory sites in North America: the Shaguiandah site on Ontario’s Manitoulin Island, which is estimated to be 30,000 years old.
Chief Pontiac was one of the tribes’ most skilled leaders during this time. He became the head of a loose confederacy of the Ottawa, Ojibwa and Potawatomi tribes formed in response to offensive English policies. The ensuing conflict became known as Pontiac’s Rebellion.
The prolific traders traveled vast distances, leading to early European contact. The Ottawa met Samuel de Champlain in 1615 near the French River in Canada. After the arrival of French traders, the Ottawa became integral to the fur trade. The tribe lived in wigwams or wikis, wore buckskin clothing and cultivated corn, beans and pumpkins.
After the passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and due to increasing encroachment by Euro-Americans, the tribe signed over its lands in Ohio, Michigan and Illinois. It wasn’t until April 1837 that the Ottawa of Blanchard’s Fork, Roche de Boeuf and Oquanoxies’s Village agreed to migrate to a 74,000-acre allotment in Kansas.
Library of Congress
Within five years, nearly half had died. In 1862, the tribe gave the Baptists acreage for a school, as well as 20,000 acres to be sold to raise money to build a university for whites and American Indians where Ottawa children would receive a free education. Under increasing pressure, in 1867 the Ottawa, now numbering only about 200, sold their Kansas land and moved to northeastern Indian Territory. In 1956, the U.S. government terminated the tribal government, but tribal members didn’t give up. In 1978, Ottawa governance was restored, followed by establishment as a federally recognized government in 1979.
Major Campbell and Pontiac, 1883
DID YOU KNOW? A major focus of Ottawa cultural activities is the annual Ottawa Powwow held on Labor Day weekend. Among the foods the Ottawa enjoy at the annual event is traditional succotash, made from beans and dried corn.
Bust of Chief Pontiac, National Hall of Fame for Famous American Indians, Anadarko
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English Name Traditional Name
Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma Pâri
Language Family
Caddoan
Headquarters: 881 Little Dee Rd., Pawnee | (918) 762-3621 | pawneenation.org
The Pawnee lived for centuries on the Central Plains, centered in what is now northern and central Nebraska. One of the largest and most prominent Plains tribes, they numbered 10,000 or more during early contact with Europeans. Pawnee life featured alternating patterns of cultivation and High Plains bison hunting. The tribe lived in permanent villages of dome-shaped earthlodges that housed extended families. During the 1800s, the Pawnees’ lives were radically changed, largely as the result of expansionist U.S. encroachment. Through a series of treaties, the Pawnee Nation exchanged most of Nebraska and northern Kansas for a reservation, a school, agricultural assistance and a perpetual monetary annuity. Epidemics and constant attacks by the Sioux and Cheyenne took a steady toll. Finally, the tribe moved to Indian Territory in 1875 and settled on former Cherokee land between the forks of the Arkansas and Cimarron rivers. In 1878, as a result of the Allotment Act, families were encouraged to move to individual farms, and agency officials relentlessly attacked many Pawnee social customs. The Pawnee people experienced poor health coupled with inadequate sanitation and health care. The population dipped to 629 in 1901 and did not begin to recover until the 1930s. After reorganization in 1937, Pawnee leaders began a long effort to regain Pawnee lands. Ownership was returned to the tribe in 1968. In 1980, the current tribal roundhouse — modeled on the traditional earthlodge — was built to serve as a social center for dances and other events. Today, the Pawnee Nation is making strides in teaching its language to younger generations, preserving tribal knowledge with a library, and celebrating history and heritage with dances, ceremonies and a homecoming powwow in early July.
DID YOU KNOW? Pawnee dancers’ regalia is covered with images such as star motifs, celestial designs and bird imagery. These images symbolize Pawnee beliefs about the origin of the universe. Images of lightning bolts, stars and crosses with circles recall night skies and creation stories.
Walter Norman, WWI Veteran, 1919
Leading Fox Family Earthlodge
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English Name Traditional Names
Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma Kaskaskia, Peoria, Piankeshaw, Wea
Language Family
Algonquian
Headquarters: 118 S. Eight Tribes Trl., Miami (918) 540-2535 | peoriatribe.com
The Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma is a confederation of Kaskaskia, Peoria, Piankeshaw and Wea tribes united into a single tribe in 1854. The tribes that make up the Confederated Peoria, as they were once called, originated in the lands bordering the Great Lakes. They are Illinois Indians, descendants of those who created the great mound civilizations in the central United States.
Three Peoria Indians — George Catlin National Gallery of Art
The Peoria were relocated first to Missouri, then to Kansas and finally to Indian Territory. While in Kansas in the 1840s and 1850s, the four tribes cooperated in the face of increasing encroachment from Euro-Americans. The United States recognized and consented to their union as the Confederated Peoria in an 1854 treaty that also provided for the disposition of tribal lands set aside by treaties in the 1830s. The confederation would hold 10 sections in common, each tribal member would receive a 160-acre allotment and surplus land would be sold to settlers with proceeds going to the tribes. After the Civil War, most of the Confederated Peoria agreed to remove to Indian Territory under the provisions of an 1867 treaty. Some tribal members remained in Kansas, separate from the Confederated Peoria, and became U.S. citizens. The lands of those in Indian Territory were subject to the provisions of the General Allotment Act of 1887. All tribal land was allotted by 1893, and by 1915, the tribe had no tribal lands or any lands in restricted status. Although U.S. government policy terminated supervision of the Peoria Tribe and its property in 1956, federal recognition was restored to the Peoria Tribe in 1978. Today, the Peoria are maintaining old traditions within a modern context, participating in powwows with neighboring tribes, hosting Stomp Dances and holding a powwow each June.
Moscelyne Larkin, Five Moons Sculpture, Tulsa
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DID YOU KNOW?
Ballet dancer Moscelyne Larkin, a co-founder of the Tulsa Ballet, was of Peoria and Shawnee descent. She was one of five renowned American Indian ballerinas from Oklahoma known as the Five Moons. Bronze statues of each of the five stand in the Tulsa Historical Society & Museum’s Vintage Garden.
Ponca camp at night, 1907 Oklahoma Historical Society
English Name Traditional Name
Library of Congress
Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma Ponka
Language Family
Dhegiha Siouan
Headquarters: 20 White Eagle Dr., Ponca City | (580) 762-8104 | ponca.com
The Ponca lived along the Ohio River in Kentucky and Indiana before migrating into what is today Nebraska. They share social and cultural characteristics with the Omaha, Osage, Kaw and Quapaw peoples. The Ponca first encountered Europeans in 1789 while living along Ponca Creek in northeastern Nebraska. Despite several treaties, in 1868 an “administrative blunder” by U.S. federal agents caused the Ponca reservation to be given to the Sioux, and the U.S. government chose to remove the less-powerful Poncas. The tribe protested, but forced removal began in the spring of 1877. The trek was beset by great hardship, and the Poncas arrived in what is now northeastern Oklahoma to find no shelter and little food. After two years, almost one-third had perished. When his eldest son died in 1878, Ponca Chief Standing Bear and 65 followers began a journey back to Nebraska for the burial. Standing Bear was arrested for leaving without permission. The ensuing federal trial resulted in the landmark decision that declared American Indians to be considered “persons” with individual rights under the law. Allotment and the Land Rush of 1889 undermined tribal lifestyle, but the Ponca still gathered in the winter and took part in traditional tribal life. Homesteaders moved into areas surrounding the reservation, and in 1899, Ponca City was incorporated.
In 1911, E.W. Marland struck oil on land leased from Ponca man Willie Cry. By the early 1920s, oil refineries were dumping waste into the Arkansas River, and Ponca City used it for raw sewage disposal. The water became unfit to drink, river life died off and animals living along the river all but disappeared. Boarding schools and missions further undermined tribal culture. The Ponca persevered, and their resolve and sense of community sustain them as a vital part of Indian Country. The tribe hosts a powwow and celebration each August.
DID YOU KNOW? In 1926, Ponca citizen Augustus “Gus” Hurley McDonald was crowned the first world fancy dance champion. His victory made the Ponca Nation the home of the fancy dance and gave the tribe the right to host the world championship of fancy dancing. Each year, the championship is held on the last night of the Ponca Tribal Powwow & Celebration (page 71).
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Quapaw Tribe Powwow, Miami Patrick T. Mullikin
English Name Traditional Names
Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma Okaxpa
Language Family
Dhegiha Siouan
Headquarters: 5681 S. 630 Rd., Quapaw | (918) 542-1853 | quapawtribe.com
The Quapaw name is derived from the tribal term Ugakhpa, meaning “downstream people.” It is believed the Quapaw were part of a larger Dhegiha Sioux group that split into the Quapaw, Osage, Ponca, Kansa and Omaha tribes. They resided in the Ohio River Valley before migrating to different areas. The Quapaw followed the Ohio River downstream to the Mississippi River, eventually reaching what is now Arkansas. In the mid-1600s, French explorers Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet were traveling down the Mississippi River. Their Illini guides referred to the Quapaw as “Akansea,” which later became the word Arkansas. The downstream people settled where the Arkansas and Mississippi rivers met, organizing into four villages. They stayed for several hundred years. The Quapaw experienced a severe population decline because of European diseases. It is estimated there were more than 5,000 Quapaw in the late 1600s, but over the next 80 years their numbers dropped to 1,600. The tribe allied itself with the French in exchange for weapons and was faithful to its allies throughout the following century. In 1803, Napoleon sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States. In ensuing years, the Quapaw were coerced into signing treaties with the U.S. government only to see it continue demanding more land.
Quapaw Tribal Museum, Quapaw
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In 1833, the Quapaw signed a treaty that established a reservation in Indian Territory in what would become northeastern Oklahoma. The Quapaw managed allotment so that no lands were opened to white settlers. The discovery of lead and zinc on Quapaw lands led to upheaval and eventual pollution, resulting in the area receiving Superfund designation in 1983. Today, the Quapaw celebrate and preserve their heritage with traditional games, ceremonies, dances, the Quapaw Tribal Museum and a tribal library.
DID YOU KNOW?
Composer and music educator Louis W. Ballard was of Quapaw and Cherokee descent. His orchestral works included “Incident at Wounded Knee” and “Scenes From Indian Life.”
English Name
Sac & Fox Nation
Traditional Name
Thâkîwaki & Meskwaki
Language Family
Algonquian
Headquarters: 920963 State Highway 99, Stroud | (918) 968-3526 | sacandfoxnation-nsn.gov
The Sac & Fox Nation of Oklahoma is the largest of three federally recognized tribes of the Sac & Fox people. The two other Sac & Fox tribes are the Sac & Fox of Mississippi located in Tama, Iowa, who refer to themselves as Meskwaki, and the Sac & Fox of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska, who refer to themselves as Nemaha. Members of the Sac & Fox Nation of Oklahoma refer to themselves as Sauk or Thaaki in their language.
Pa-ship-pa-ho, Sac & Fox Chief, 1899-1928
The Sauk were originally from the Lake Huron and Lake Michigan area at the time of European contact and were forcibly relocated to Oklahoma in the 1870s. The Sac & Fox Nation of Oklahoma’s tribal jurisdiction spans Lincoln, Payne, and Pottawatomie counties. There are five elected officials, each elected for a four-year term, that govern the tribe. There are 4,000 enrolled tribal members with a majority of members residing in Oklahoma.
The Sac & Fox Nation of Oklahoma is very proud and continues to strive to keep culture and language alive within all tribal members.
The seal of the Sac & Fox Nation features a black and white hawk to pay tribute to Black Hawk, one of the tribe’s most famous chiefs who led the tribe in the Black Hawk Wars. On the breast of the hawk is the British coat of arms, which pays tribute to the British alliance that the Sac & Fox had during the War of 1812. Five Olympic rings located above the hawk pay tribute to tribal member Jim Thorpe (page 25).
Keokuk, Sac & Fox Chief, 1838
Library of Congress
DID YOU KNOW?
Oklahoma Historical Society
The Sac & Fox Nation was the first tribe to legally issue tribal tags without state taxation being imposed after winning a Supreme Court case in 1993. May 17 commemorates this win each year and is celebrated as Victory Day for the Sac & Fox people. Other tribes have since followed suit.
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English Name Traditional Names Language Family
Seneca-Cayuga Nation
Hodinohso:ni: (Onondowa’ga’ ne Gayogoho:no’) Northern Iroquoian
Headquarters: 23701 S. 655 Rd., Grove | (918) 787-5452 | sctribe.com
The Seneca and the Cayuga originated from what is today the upstate Finger Lakes region of New York. The Seneca were the western-most members of the League of the Iroquois (Six Nations), known as the “Keepers of the West Door.” The Cayuga, located east of the Seneca, were referred to as “Younger Brothers” within the league. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Iroquoian bands and tribal remnants occupied areas in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Also known collectively as “Mingo” or “Seneca,” they are the ancestors of today’s Seneca-Cayuga Nation of Oklahoma. In 1817, the United States established two reservations for the Ohio “Senecas.” The first, located along the Sandusky River, was for the Seneca of Sandusky — a mingling of Cayuga, Seneca, Onondaga, Mohawk, Erie, Conestoga and others. The second was for a consolidated band of Seneca and Shawnee at Lewistown, Ohio. The groups exchanged their reserves for adjoining land in Indian Territory in 1831. Approximately 358 Seneca of Sandusky arrived in the summer of 1832. About 258 members of the Mixed Band of Seneca and Shawnee arrived later that year. The tribes readjusted reservation boundaries and joined together as “the United Nation of Senecas and Shawnees.” The U.S. government separated the tribes in 1867. The Sandusky and Mixed Band Seneca were organized as a single Seneca tribe, and the Shawnee became the Eastern Shawnee. Both surrendered land that was later occupied by other tribes. During the 1840s through 1880s, the Seneca received newcomers, including Cayuga, Mohawk and Seneca proper. The Seneca reservation was allotted to 130 individuals in 1888; by 1902, 372 allotments had been issued. Today, the Seneca-Cayugas continue their rituals as well as a ceremonial calendar and dances such as the Green Corn Ceremony. Tribal members interact with their New York and Canadian counterparts, as well as with neighboring tribes, for ceremonies and events.
DID YOU KNOW? The Seneca-Cayuga were the first tribe in Oklahoma to organize after the enactment of the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act of 1936. Cayuga Splitlog Mission Church, Grove Built in 1896 by Mathias Splitlog, a Cayuga
Oklahoma Historical Society
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A Seneca-Cayuga woman works out her horse, 1957
English Name Traditional Name
Shawnee Tribe Sawanwaki
Language Family
Central Algonquian
Headquarters: 29 State Highway 69A, Miami | (918) 542-2441 | shawnee-tribe.com
There is no singular narrative that describes Shawnee history or culture. Shawnee people once lived in their ancestral homelands of the Ohio Middle Valley. Swift travelers and prolific traders, Shawnee were kind friends to many and equally fierce foes to some. Shawnee people formed alliances with other tribes that persist today. In the past 500 years, waves of European settlers completely altered Shawnee ways of life. Under British and American rule, Shawnee language, arts, and social customs nearly vanished, as Native people fought prejudice and the suppression of their culture by a domineering Western society. Despite suppression, many traditional ways of life, ceremonies and language continue to endure.
Today, there is a healthy and inclusive community history dialog, efforts to reawaken the language, and a burgeoning Shawnee arts renaissance. The Shawnee Tribe is experiencing a cultural revival tied to the creation of its heritage organization, the Shawnee Tribe Cultural Center. The Center aims to be the place for students, educators, artists, citizens and visitors to explore and share Shawnee culture.
DID YOU KNOW? The Shawnee Tribe works to be a leader in research, partnering with museums, universities and scholars. The tribe recently worked on the Pottery Project, a scientific study about ancestral origins, re-creating ancestral pottery and creating an interactive STEAM-based exhibit at the tribe’s cultural center. This Fort Ancient vessel from Kentucky may have been used for cooking beans, preparing medicine, or perhaps mixing pigments.
Fort Ancient Pottery William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology, University of Kentucky
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Seminole Nation Museum, Wewoka
Seminole Dancer, 1968 Oklahoma Historical Society
English Name Traditional Names
The Great Seminole Nation of Oklahoma Seminole
Language Family
Mvskoke
Headquarters: 36645 U.S. Highway 270, Wewoka | (405) 257-7200 | sno-nsn.gov
The Seminole were originally part of the Muscogee (Creek) Confederacy in Georgia, Florida and Alabama. During the late 18th century, some Lower Creek villages cut ties and moved into northern Florida. They became known as Seminole, thought to derive from cimarron, the Spanish term for runaway. By the 19th century, encroachment and harassment by Euro-Americans led to the tribe being designated for removal. The Seminole resisted during the Seminole Wars (1817-18, 1835-42 and 1855-58). Although they were not conquered, thousands moved west in the wars’ aftermaths. The first group arrived in Indian Territory in 1836, and most relocated by 1839. Between 350 and 500 remained, forming the Seminole Nation of Florida in 1957. The Seminole were confined to the Creek Nation but were allowed some self-governance if they adhered to Creek laws. In 1849, two bands grew frustrated and migrated to Mexico. Led by Chief John Jumper, the remaining Seminole signed a treaty with the Creek and the U.S. government in 1856 and established the Seminole Nation.
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Most Seminole sided with the Confederacy during the Civil War, and many dissident refugees fled to Kansas. The Curtis Act of 1898 dissolved the Seminole government; the tribe’s territory was divided among approximately 3,000 members. Many lost land through (often fraudulent) sale. By 1920, only about 20 percent remained in Seminole hands — though the 1923 discovery of what would be called the Greater Seminole Oil Field did make a few wealthy. Congress repealed the allotment policy in 1934, and the Seminole reestablished their government by the next year. In 1970, the tribal council was reorganized to adhere to its traditional structure. Today, many Seminole participate in the Stomp Dance, Green Corn Ceremony, fasts and other rituals. The Seminole Nation Museum documents and interprets the tribe’s history and culture.
DID YOU KNOW? Seminole Nation citizen Enoch Kelly Haney, an internationally renowned sculptor, created The Guardian, the 22-foot bronze that sits atop the Oklahoma State Capitol dome.
English Name Traditional Name
Thlopthlocco Tribal Town Rvp-Rakko Etulwv
Language Family
Mvskoke
Headquarters: P.O. Box 188, Okemah | (918) 560-6198 | tttown.org
Formed toward the end of the 18th century, Thlopthlocco Tribal Town was an Upper Creek town of the Muscogee (Creek) Confederacy situated in what are now Alabama and Georgia. Thlopthlocco (Rvp-Rakko) was established near Wetumpka, Alabama. Rvp-Rakko meant “Tall Cane” or “Big Reed,” so named because it was located near a stream with abundant cane or reed. Thlopthlocco was a Red Town; Red Towns carried red beads and administered war functions. Thlopthlocco Tribal Town was one of at least 44 Muscogee tribal towns to relocate to Indian Territory because of the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Members settled along the north fork of the North Canadian River. The group established its square grounds and rekindled its fire between what are now Wetumka and Okemah, Oklahoma. In 1938, Thlopthlocco Tribal Town ratified its constitution and bylaws under the provisions of the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act of 1936. In 1941, the Secretary of the Interior placed 1,900 acres in trust for the group. Members constructed a council house made of hand-hewn stone. Today, members participate in activities at nearby ceremonial grounds.
DID YOU KNOW? The title of Thlopthlocco Tribal Town’s leader in the Muscogee language is Mekko. When translated in English, it means king. The designation reflects an ancient tradition.
English Name Traditional Name
Tonkawa Tribe Tic kan wa•tic
Language Family
Tonkawan
Headquarters: 1 Rush Buffalo Rd., Tonkawa (580) 628-2561 | tonkawatribe.com
The Tonkawa belong to the Tonkawan linguistic family that once comprised a number of small tribes indigenous to south-central Texas. They were one of the most warlike tribes during nearly two centuries of conflict with enemy tribes, the Spanish and, later, American settlers. The Tonkawa were nomadic. They planted a few crops but were known as great hunters of buffalo and deer, using bows and arrows and spears as well as firearms secured from early Spanish traders. They became skilled riders and owned many horses. From about 1800, the Tonkawa allied with the Lipan Apache. By 1837, they had for the most part drifted toward the southwestern frontier of Texas and were among the tribes in Mexican territory. The tribe sided with the Confederacy, and pro-Union tribes nearly exterminated it in the Tonkawa Massacre of October 1862.
Tonkawa Museum, Tonkawa
The Tonkawa were removed from the Brazos River reservation in Texas in 1884 and transported by rail to the Sac-Fox Agency. The tribe wintered there, then traveled 100 miles by wagon to the Fort Oakland reserve near what is now Tonkawa, Oklahoma. The journey is known as the Tonkawa Trail of Tears. Today, the Tonkawa celebrate and preserve their heritage with ceremonies, dances, music and a tribal museum.
DID YOU KNOW?
The origin of the Tonkawa name is from the Waco term Tonkaweya, meaning “they all stay together.”
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Clingman’s Dome, on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina
English Name
Traditional Names
United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians Kituwah
Language Family
Iroquoian
Headquarters: 18263 W. Keetoowah Cir., Tahlequah (918) 871-2800 | ukb-nsn.gov
Cherokee Stickball Set
Keetoowahs believe that “Kituwah” or “Keetoowah” is the true name of the Cherokee people that the Creator gave them atop a mountain peak known as Kuwahi. Today known as Clingman’s Dome, that mountain is the highest point of the Great Smoky Mountains, which run along the Tennessee-North Carolina border. The Keetoowahs received their laws and sacred fire in their ancestral homelands of present-day North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. They see themselves as the guardians of traditional Cherokee ways. Keetoowahs trace their governmental lineage to the Old Settler Cherokees who settled in Arkansas by treaty in 1817 and moved to present-day northeastern Oklahoma, also by treaty, in 1828. The arrival of the main body of Cherokees in 1838 and 1839 led to a power struggle that ended in a bloody civil war. During the American Civil War, Keetoowahs fought with the Union, but the bulk of the Cherokee Nation sided with the Confederacy. After the war, Keetoowahs censured the Cherokee National Council for negotiating the postwar treaty with the United States. The Keetoowahs strongly opposed allotment and single statehood. Before the Cherokee Nation’s government was dissolved in 1906, the Keetoowahs became the only “body politic” representing the Cherokee people. They operated as such until receiving federal recognition under the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act with a ratified constitution in 1950. That made the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians the first federally recognized Cherokee tribal government in Oklahoma.
DID YOU KNOW? The Keetoowahs authored their first written constitution in 1859.
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Wichita and Affiliated Tribes (Wichita, Keechi, Waco and Tawakoni) English Name
Traditional Name
Kirikir i:s (also spelled kitikiti’sh)
Language Family
Caddoan
Headquarters: 1 1/4 miles N on U.S. Highway 281, Anadarko | (405) 247-2425 | wichitatribe.com
The Wichita and Affiliated Tribes’ ancestors were indigenous to Oklahoma and were probably the first to settle on the Southern Plains. They lived in villages of grass lodges, hunted buffalo, traded with the Pueblos and with related Mississippian cultures in the southeast, and raised corn, squash and beans.
The Wichita had maintained valuable pony herds, and families acquired cattle and hogs as the tribe adapted. What became known as Riverside Indian School opened in 1871. The Wichita proper, Tawakoni, Waco and Kichai came to be designated as the Wichita and Affiliated Bands.
First contact with Europeans came with Francisco Vazquez de Coronado’s 1541 quest for gold. Early accounts estimate the Wichita and their allies’ population between 15,000 and 33,000; others put the number at 160,000.
The Wichita resisted allotment, arguing to keep some commonly held portions for grazing. In 1901, President William McKinley opened the Wichita and Kiowa-Comanche-Apache reservations by lottery, and the reservation was annexed to Oklahoma Territory. The Wichita pursued land claims in the U.S. Court of Claims. They were paid $675,000 for “surplus” reservation lands at the end of the 1930s. The tribe received additional compensation for those lands in 1982, and in 1985, it settled for $14 million for land taken in Oklahoma and Texas.
The United States moved the Eastern tribes in among the indigenous tribes, and in 1835, the U.S. government entered into a treaty with the Comanche, Wichita and associated bands. The U.S. government eventually leased land between the Canadian and Red rivers from the Choctaw and Chickasaw on which to settle the Southern Plains tribes. The Wichita were assigned to a reservation in 1859; some Delaware, Caddo, Tawakoni, Waco, Comanche and Kichai joined them.
Today, the tribe preserves its language and heritage through dances, powwows, songs and the Wichita Tribal History Center. Waco-Wichita Chief Buffalo Good and his wife, 1871
The Civil War, U.S. governance, European diseases and the bison’s disappearance combined to reduce tribal population to about 300 at the start of the 20th century. The Wichitas are the sole American Indian nation of the Southern Plains who remain in their place of origin. Wichita Grass House
Oklahoma Historical Society
Oklahoma Historical Society
DID YOU KNOW?
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English Name Traditional Names
Wyandotte Nation Wendat
Language Family
Northern Iroquoian
Headquarters: 64700 E. U.S. Highway 60, Wyandotte | (918) 678-2297 | wyandotte-nation.org
More than a dozen tribes of the Great Lakes region collectively called themselves Wendat, much like saying, “I am an American.” Five of these tribes comprised the Huron Confederacy, which the Attignawantan people founded. The Tionontati people lived adjacent to the Attignawantan. They were not part of the Huron Confederacy but also referred to themselves as being Wendat. Culturally, the two tribes were almost identical. After a series of wars with the Iroquois Confederacy, in 1649-50 the two united and called themselves Wendat. The Wyandotte are descendants of this group. In 1701, French explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac invited the Wendat to settle near Fort Detroit in Michigan. A portion of the tribe ventured south and settled around Upper Sandusky, Ohio. After sustained contact with the British, the Wendat name became corrupted and spelled as Wyandot. Pressure from settlers forced the Treaty of 1843 and removal to west of the Mississippi River. No land or provisions were available upon arrival. Arrangements were made, and land was purchased from the Delaware. The new reservation was located on highly sought land in Kansas, which led to the Treaty of 1855. The Wyandot were disbanded, and their land was allotted and sold. In 1857, some relocated to Indian Territory. In 1867, approximately 200 successfully sought reinstatement as a tribe. The name Wyandotte was used after the 1867 treaty and reflects a French influence. Small population, external influences and decisions made compromised the Wyandotte’s traditional way of life. But in 1983, Chief Leaford Bearskin was elected, and tribal membership began growing. The tribe secured its right of self-governance, initiated cultural renewal and achieved economic growth.
DID YOU KNOW? The Wyandotte were instrumental in the founding of Detroit, Michigan and Kansas City, Kansas. At one time Kansas City was named Wyandotte City. Counties named Wyandotte exist in Michigan, Ohio and Kansas.
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Wyandotte Nation Tribal Pow Wow, Wyandotte Wyandotte Nation Cultural Center & Museum, Wyandotte
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Powwows & Events Ȱȟ TravelOK.com
Powwows & Events Throughout the year, powwows, festivals, art markets and other events take place across Oklahoma that celebrate the culture of the state’s American Indian tribes. Many are hosted by a tribe or group of tribes. Visitors can see and learn much at these events. The fancy dancers in their vibrant, elaborate regalia spin and pose to the beat. Artisans sell incredible arts and crafts: intricate beadwork and basketry, colorful paintings and handcrafted jewelry. There is drumming, singing, stickball and so much more. Here are some of the most fascinating and fun cultural events you’ll find around the state. To see more, visit TravelOK.com/Festivals. Dates and specific details can change from year to year, so please contact organizers or visit the event website before finalizing your travel plans.
April
May UCO Spring Pow Wow
Artesian Arts Festival
First weekend in April
Saturday of Memorial Day weekend
Hamilton Field House, 100 N. University Dr., Edmond (405) 974-3588 | uco.edu/powwow
Artesian Plaza, 1001 W. First St., Sulphur (580) 272-5525 | chickasaw.net
This event kicks off with the Gourd Dance, which is followed by a traditional Native American supper before the Grand Entry and dancing competitions begin.
Hosted by the Chickasaw Nation, this free event celebrates all types of art with an emphasis on Native American art and artists. The festival also includes musical performances, dance demonstrations, an elders art market, artist talks and food vendors.
June Red Earth Festival & Parade
Tonkawa Tribal Powwow
Three days in early June
Four days in late June
Cox Convention Center/Downtown, 1 Myriad Gardens, Oklahoma City (405) 427-5228 | redearth.org
This event features a Saturday parade through downtown with dancers from many tribes in full regalia. The powwow takes place on Saturday and Sunday and features hundreds of dancers from around the world. There is also a juried art market and show that attracts top American Indian artists.
Muscogee Creek Nation Festival Four days in mid-June Claude Cox Omniplex, Fairgrounds Road, Okmulgee (918) 732-7995 | creekfestival.com
This free festival celebrates the living culture of the Muscogee (Creek) people. It includes performances from nationally known musicians, sports tournaments, a parade, arts and crafts, a stomp dance and other cultural exhibitions.
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Fort Oakland Reserve, 1 Rush Buffalo Rd., Tonkawa (580) 628-2561 | tonkawatribe.com
This free event features singing, dancing, crafts, artwork and food. The Saturday night program typically includes a traditional Tonkawa Scalp Dance. Free primitive camping is available.
July
August Otoe-Missouria Summer Encampment
Oklahoma Indian Nation Pow-Wow
Four days in July
Three days in early August
Otoe-Missouria Encampment Grounds, 8151 U.S. Highway 177, Red Rock (405) 258-8342 | omtribe.org
Every summer for more than 130 years, the OtoeMissouria have gathered to celebrate and remember their tribe’s ways. The gathering, which is free to the public, features social and contest dancing, arts and crafts booths, kids’ games and the crowning of the Otoe-Missouria tribal princess.
Sac & Fox Nation Pow Wow Four days around the second weekend in July Jim Thorpe Memorial Park, 920883 S. State Highway 99, Stroud (918) 968-3526 | sacandfoxnation-nsn.gov
This free event has been going strong for more than 50 years. It features singing, dance and drum competitions, along with kids’ games, a health fair and a 5K.
Tulsa Powwow Two days in late July Cox Business Center, 100 Civic Center, Tulsa (918) 724-0762 | tulsapowwow.org
Started by the Tulsa Indian Club in 1952, this powwow has grown from a small celebration into one that draws competitors from around the world. In addition to a full slate of dance competitions, there are booths selling traditional food and native arts and crafts.
Concho Powwow Grounds, James Hawk Sr. Dr., Concho | (405) 402-8956
Hosted by the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes, this free event features traditional singing, war dancing and gourd dancing. There are vendors offering food, art and crafts, along with other entertainment.
Wichita Tribal Dance Four days in early August Wichita Tribal Park, north of Anadarko on U.S. Highway 281 (405) 247-2425 | wichitatribe.com
This free event opens with competitive dancing by Wichita tribal members, while the next three days of competitions are open to members of all tribes. Free meals are served on select nights, and food and vendor booths are available.
Powwow of Champions Three days in mid-August Mabee Center, 7777 S. Lewis Ave., Tulsa (918) 378-4494 | iicot.org
Hosted by the Intertribal Indian Club of Tulsa, this powwow features hundreds of dancers from tribes around the country. There is also a large arts and crafts market with a wide selection of traditional and contemporary jewelry, art and other goods, along with traditional foods.
Ponca Tribal Powwow & Celebration Four days in late August White Eagle Park, 20 White Eagle Dr., Ponca City (580) 762-8104 | ponca.com
This free event got its start around 1879; it was one of the first intertribal powwows held in Oklahoma. Today, it features dance competitions, food vendors and arts and crafts vendors. Red Earth Festival, Oklahoma City
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September Cherokee National Holiday
Comanche Nation Fair
Three days of Labor Day weekend
Three days in mid-September
Various locations, Tahlequah (918) 453-5536 | cherokee.org
Thousands of Cherokees and other visitors descend on Tahlequah each year for this celebration of the tribe’s culture and heritage. It features Cherokee games like marbles, stickball and cornstalk shooting plus other sports competition. There’s also an intertribal powwow, and vendors offer Native American-made foods, art and other products.
Choctaw Nation Labor Day Festival Five days surrounding Labor Day weekend Tvshka Homma Tribal Grounds, 163665 N. Rd. 4355, Tuskahoma (800) 522-6170 | choctawnation.com
This free yearly festival has been going strong for more than 60 years. It includes an intertribal powwow, stickball tournament, princess pageant and fine art market featuring work from Choctaw artists. A Choctaw village features artisans creating pottery, weaving baskets and doing other traditional activities. There are also carnival rides, sports tournaments and free concerts. Standing Bear Pow Wow, Ponca City
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Comanche Nation Complex, 584 N.W. Bingo Rd., Lawton (580) 492-3241 | comanchenationfair.com
The Comanche Nation’s free fair combines popular tribal activities, including an intertribal powwow, storytelling and traditional games, with other fun events. A parade, carnival, bull riding and sports tournaments are all offered.
Standing Bear Pow Wow Last Friday and Saturday of September Standing Bear Park, 601 Standing Bear Pkwy., Ponca City (580) 762-1514 | standingbearpark.com
This widely attended free event is hosted by Oklahoma’s six north-central tribes, the Kaw, Osage, Otoe-Missouria, Pawnee, Ponca and Tonkawa. It features intertribal dancing and a free Saturday evening meal with foods like corn soup and fry bread. A variety of vendors sell food, art and crafts. Wichita Annual Dance, Anadarko
Artesian Arts Festival
October Chickasaw Annual Meeting & Festival Nine days in late September and early October Various locations in Ada, Tishomingo and Sulphur (580) 371-2040 | annualmeeting.chickasaw.net
This event celebrates Chickasaw culture, heritage and traditions. Many of the events take place on the grounds of the Chickasaw National Capitol in Tishomingo, including a traditional meal, an art show and market, kids’ activities, cultural demonstrations and other live entertainment. There is also a stickball game and stomp dance.
Kiowa Black Leggings Warrior Society Ceremonial Two days on Columbus Day weekend in October Indian City Ceremonial Campgrounds, south of Anadarko on State Highway 8 (580) 755-0315 | (580) 730-1147
Members of the tribe’s Black Leggings Warrior Society, an invitation-only group of veterans who dress in striking red capes, gather to perform ceremonial dances. One of the dances, known as the tsat-koi-gha, or turn-around, dance, serves as a re-enactment of an 1800s battle. Dinner is served both days of the ceremonial.
Cherokee Art Market Second weekend in October Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa, 777 W. Cherokee St., Catoosa (918) 226-4352
One of the state’s largest art shows, this market features 150 Native American artists representing 50 tribes from across the United States. Jewelry, pottery, textiles, paintings and sculptures are among the museum-quality pieces on display.
Powwow etiquette tips • Photography is generally allowed, but it is best to check in advance to make sure. If you wish to photograph a specific dancer, ask his or her permission first. • Video and audio recordings are not usually allowed without advance permission. • Seating is usually limited, so check in advance or bring your own chair or blanket to sit on. • The benches encircling the arena, which are often covered with blankets, are for dancers only. They are not for the general public. • Stand respectfully and remove any hats during special songs, including the Grand Entry, Flag Songs, Veterans’ Songs and any others that the emcee designates. If you’re uncertain, follow the lead of other attendees. • Don’t touch any outfits. If a dancer drops a piece of his or her regalia, do not pick it up. Notify powwow staff for assistance. • Not every powwow or dance is open to the public, so it’s always best to call in advance to verify that you can attend.
December New Year’s Eve Sobriety Powwow New Year’s Eve Muskogee Event Center, 425 Boston St., Muskogee (918) 639-7999
This event features traditional native dancing and singing, games, arts and crafts and a kids’ art contest. Dance categories include fancy dance, straight dance, jingle dress, traditional, chicken, women’s buckskin and fancy shawl. No alcohol is allowed, and guests will need to bring their own chairs.
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A look at Native American cuisine American Indian food culture is very diverse. Tribes relied on meat from animals they killed, including bison and deer, and crops, particularly the foods known as the Three Sisters — corn, beans and squash. The removal to new lands, where the environment didn’t necessarily support the same crops, changed some things. Fry bread, which has become perhaps the best-known native dish, is believed to have originated after removal during the 1860s. It is unleavened, as most tribal members did not have access to yeast in the mid-19th century. The dough is fried in a skillet or deep fryer. The resulting fluffy bread is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Fry bread is often served topped with beef and vegetables as what is called an Indian taco. Today, Indian tacos are a staple at festivals and fairs across Oklahoma, but fry bread can also be found at many dining establishments, including the ones listed below. Some Oklahoma restaurants have also began to feature dishes with bison meat, which was a staple of many tribes’ diet. It’s not uncommon to see a bison burger (sometimes called a buffalo burger) on menus around the state. The meat is leaner than beef and very flavorful.
FireLake Fry Bread Taco
The Aaimpa’ Café
1568 S. Bodwe Dr., Shawnee | (405) 273-0108
867 Cooper Memorial Rd., Sulphur | (580) 622-7130
This restaurant run by the Citizen Potawatomi Nation lets diners create their own fry bread taco using a variety of meat, bean, topping and spice options — including bison meat. There are also dessert fry breads topped with cinnamon, sugar and honey or strawberries and whipped cream.
This café at the Chickasaw Cultural Center serves several Chickasaw dishes, including fry bread, grape dumplings, and a traditional corn and pork soup known as pishofa. Modern American favorites and bison burgers are also available.
National Indian Taco Championship Kihekah Street, Pawhuska | (918) 287-1208 pawhuskachamber.com
Every October, fry bread fans gather to see whose Indian tacos will be deemed the best of the best and vote for their favorite in the people’s choice competition. The event also features a powwow and arts and crafts vendors.
Restaurant of the Cherokees 17723 U.S. Highway 62, Tahlequah | (918) 456-2070
While this restaurant owned by the Cherokee Nation specializes in comfort food like catfish and fried chicken, diners are also treated to a basket of rolls and fry bread with honey. It’s known for its bountiful lunch buffet, but guests who choose to order off the menu can also get an Indian taco.
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Casinos, Hotels & Resorts
Casinos, Hotels & Resorts From sumptuous buffets to luxurious spas to high-end shopping , Oklahoma’s tribal-owned hotels and resorts have taken the idea of an all-in-one vacation spot to the next level. The state is home to more than 100 casinos owned and operated by American Indian nations. These complexes are filled with dazzling electronic games and card tables where guests can while the night away strategizing and stacking their chips up. But there’s so much more to these businesses than just gaming. Here’s a closer look at what a few of them have to offer:
Choctaw Casino and Resort, Durant
Choctaw Casino and Resort Durant Durant
Located just north of the Texas border, this Choctaw Nation complex features a AAA Four-Diamond hotel with two towers of luxury rooms. Guests will love the massive indoor-and-outdoor pool complex, known as the Oasis Pool. It has a tropical vibe with cascading waterfalls, cabanas and swim-up bars. The resort also features a 3,000-seat concert venue that hosts the biggest names in country and rock. The gaming area has more than 4,300 machines, 60 table games, a private poker lounge and off-track betting. Other amenities: spa, inn, bowling alley, arcade, 17 restaurants and lounges, movie theater, RV park
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Grand Casino Hotel & Resort Shawnee
Guests can stay and play just outside Oklahoma City at this Citizen Potawatomi Nation resort. There’s a 14-story hotel, a gaming floor with more than 2,000 machines and table games, plus a poker room. It hosts frequent concerts, events and gaming tournaments. Other amenities: spa, concert venue/event center, eight restaurants and bars, RV park The Artesian Hotel Casino & Spa
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tulsa
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa Tulsa
The heart of rock and roll beats strong at the Cherokee Nation’s award-winning hotel and casino. Guests can choose from three towers, including one that’s all suites; each room offers sleek, modern décor and is loaded with amenities. Music memorabilia is on display throughout the facility, including stage costumes from superstars like Elvis Presley and Madonna. The casino’s got more than 2,400 electronic games and more than 40 table games, and it hosts frequent poker tournaments. Other amenities: spa, shopping, two swimming pools, three music venues, event center, dance hall, 18-hole golf course, five restaurants
River Spirit Casino Resort Tulsa
This Muscogee (Creek) Nation resort’s lavishly appointed, 27-story hotel has earned the AAA Four Diamond rating, and the casino has one of the biggest gaming floors in Oklahoma. Visitors can test their luck at poker, blackjack, ball-and-dice games and more than 3,100 electronic games. Those looking for a little piece of paradise (and strong, fruity drinks) will love the resort’s Margaritaville Casino, which serves up fun Jimmy Buffett style. There’s a Margaritaville Restaurant — complete with a two-story volcano erupting margarita lava — and a casino area with Caribbean-themed décor and Buffett memorabilia.
The Artesian Hotel Casino & Spa
Other amenities: six restaurants, concert venue, event center, spa, resort-style pool
79 Grand Casino Hotel & Resort
TravelOK.com
The Artesian Hotel Casino & Spa Sulphur
The Chickasaw Nation’s elegant hotel is the place to go for pampering. Its tranquil Sole’renity Spa was named one of the country’s Top 100 Spas by Spas of America, and the complex’s carefully curated shops are perfect for retail therapy. The boutique casino offers more than 300 machines along with blackjack and Texas Hold ’Em. Other amenities: two restaurants, shopping, indoor and outdoor pools, bath house
WinStar World Casino & Resort Thackerville
With more than 600,000 square feet of gaming space, this eye-popping Chickasaw Nation facility is the largest casino in the United States — and one of the largest in the world. Elaborately themed areas make visitors feel like they’re on a trip around the world, with fountains, sphinxes, painted ceilings and statues turning up in rooms styled to be reminiscent of famous cities. There are three hotel towers with luxuriously appointed rooms along with a cozier inn. Other amenities: spa, concert venue/event center, two 18-hole golf courses, swimming pools, RV park, bars, more than two dozen restaurants, luxury shopping
Grand Casino Hotel & Resort
80 Oklahoma Indian Country Guide
NORTHWEST
NORTHEAST
CENTRAL
SOUTH CENTRAL
SOUTHEAST
Name
Address
Phone
Website
7 Clans Casino Perry
Perry 511 Kaw St
580-336-7260
sevenclans.com
7 Clans First Council Casino
Newkirk 12875 N US Hwy 77
580-448-3015 877-725-2670
sevenclans.com
7 Clans Gasino Chilocco
Newkirk 12901 N US Hwy 77
580-448-3015
sevenclans.com
7 Clans Gasino Red Rock
Red Rock 8401 US Hwy 177
580-723-1020
sevenclans.com
7 Clans Paradise Casino
Red Rock 7500 US Hwy 177
580-723-4005 866-723-4005
sevenclans.com
Ada Gaming Center
Ada 1500 N Country Club Rd
580-436-3740
adagaming.com
Apache Casino Hotel & Event Center
Lawton 2323 E Gore Blvd
580-248-5905 855-248-5905
apachecasinohotel.com
Black Gold Casino
Wilson 288 Mulberry Ln
580-668-4415
myblackgoldcasino.com
Border Casino
Thackerville 22953 Brown Springs Rd
580-276-1727
mybordercasino.com
Bordertown Casino & Arena
Wyandotte 129 Oneida St
918-666-9401
bordertowncasino.com
Buffalo Run Casino & Resort
Miami 1000 Buffalo Run Blvd
918-542-7140
buffalorun.com
Casino Oklahoma
Hinton 220 E Cummins Rd
405-542-4200
casinooklahoma.com
Cherokee Casino & Hotel Roland
Roland 205 Cherokee Blvd
918-427-7491
cherokeecasino.com
Cherokee Casino Fort Gibson
Fort Gibson 107 N Georgetown Rd
918-684-5507
cherokeecasino.com
Cherokee Casino Grove
Grove 24979 US Hwy 59
918-786-1300
cherokeecasino.com
Cherokee Casino Ramona
Ramona 31501 US Hwy 75
918-535-3800
cherokeecasino.com
Cherokee Casino Sallisaw
Sallisaw 1621 W Ruth Ave
918-774-1626
cherokeecasino.com
Cherokee Casino South Coffeyville
South Coffeyville 1506 US Hwy 169
918-255-4200
cherokeecasino.com
Cherokee Casino Tahlequah
Tahlequah 3307 S Seven Clans Ave
918-207-3600
cherokeecasino.com
Cherokee Casino West Siloam Springs
Watts 2416 US Hwy 412
918-422-6301 800-754-4111
cherokeecasino.com
Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs
Claremore 20900 S 4200 Rd
918-283-8800
cherokeecasino.com
Chickasaw Travel Stop - Ada West
Ada 14565 CR 3544 (St Hwy 3W & Latta Rd)
580-310-0900
chickasawtravelstop.com
Chickasaw Travel Stop - Kingston
Kingston 1795 US Hwy 70
580-564-4144
chickasawtravelstop.com
Chickasaw Travel Stop - Paoli
Paoli I-35 Exit 79 & St Hwy 145 (535 St Hwy 145)
405-484-7777
chickasawtravelstop.com
Chickasaw Travel Stop - Thackerville Gaming
Thackerville 33983 Brown Springs Rd
580-276-4706
chickasawtravelstop.com
Chickasaw Travel Stop - Wilson
Wilson 288 Mulberry Ln
580-668-9248
chickasawtravelstop.com
Chickasaw Travel Stop and Gaming - Davis
Davis 12595 St Hwy 7 W
580-369-4240
chickasawtravelstop.com
Chisholm Trail Casino
Duncan 7807 N US Hwy 81
580-255-1668
chisholmtrailcasino.com
Choctaw Casino - Antlers Travel Plaza
Antlers 1319 W Main Street
580-298-1001
Choctaw Casino - Atoka Travel Plaza
Atoka 1302 S Mississippi Ave
580-364-0056
Choctaw Casino - Broken Bow
Broken Bow 1790 S Park Dr
580-584-5450
Choctaw Casino - Broken Bow Travel Plaza
Broken Bow 1800 S Park Dr
580-584-5528
Choctaw Casino - Durant Travel Plaza (East)
Durant 3733 Choctaw Rd
580-920-2186
Choctaw Casino - Durant Travel Plaza (West)
Durant 4305 Choctaw Rd
580-931-8872
Choctaw Casino - Grant Travel Plaza
Grant 2381 E 2120 Rd
580-326-7595
Choctaw Casino - Hugo Travel Center
Hugo 1908 W Jackson St
580-317-9109
Choctaw Casino - Idabel
Idabel 1425 SE Washington St
580-286-5710 800-634-2582
Choctaw Casino - Idabel Travel Plaza
Idabel 2449 Washington St
580-286-2596
Choctaw Casino - McAlester
McAlester 1638 S George Nigh Expy
918-423-8161, 877-904-8444
Choctaw Casino - Pocola Travel Plaza
Pocola 3402-1 Choctaw Rd
918-436-7824
Choctaw Casino - Stringtown
Stringtown 893 N US Hwy 69
580-346-7862
Choctaw Casino - Stringtown Travel Plaza
Stringtown PO Box 250
580-346-7874
Choctaw Casino - Wilburton Travel Plaza
Wilburton 902 W Main St
918-465-9675
Choctaw Casino Hotel - Pocola
Pocola 3400 Choctaw Rd
800-590-5825
Lodging
RV Sites
Ball and Dice Games
Table Games
SOUTHWEST
Amenities
choctawcasinos.com
choctawcasinos.com
choctawcasinos.com
choctawcasinos.com
choctawcasinos.com Bingo
Minimum Age
81 TravelOK.com
Name
Address
Phone
Website
Choctaw Casino and Resort Durant
Durant 3735 Choctaw Rd
580-920-0160 888-652-4628
choctawcasinos.com
Choctaw Casino Resort - Grant
Grant 1516 US Hwy 271 S
580-326-8397
choctawcasinos.com
Choctaw Casino TOO McAlester Travel Plaza
McAlester 1640 S George Nigh Expy
918-426-6404
Choctaw Casino TOO - Poteau
Poteau 4105 N Broadway St
918-349-0273
Choctaw Casino TOO - Stigler
Stigler 1801 E Main St
918-967-8364
choctawcasinos.com
Cimarron Bend Casino
Coyle 201 E Main St
405-466-9765
cimarroncasino.com
Cimarron Casino
Perkins 821 W Freeman Ave
405-547-5352
cimarroncasino.com
Comanche Nation Casino
Lawton 402 SE Interstate Dr
580-250-3030 877-900-7594
comanchenationentertainment.com
Comanche Nation Travel Plaza
Devol 250510 E 2000 Rd
580-281-3357
Comanche Red River Hotel Casino
Devol 196747 St Hwy 36
580-250-3060 866-280-3261
comanchenationentertainment.com
Comanche Spur Casino
Elgin 9047 US Hwy 62
580-250-3090 877-806-1177
comanchenationentertainment.com
Comanche Star Casino
Walters 263171 St Hwy 53
580-250-3100 877-844-0228
comanchenationentertainment.com
Creek Nation Casino Bristow
Bristow 121 W Lincoln Ave
918-367-9168
creeknationcasinobristow.com
Creek Nation Casino Checotah
Checotah 830 N Broadway
918-473-5200
creeknationcasinochecotah.com
Creek Nation Casino Eufaula
Eufaula 806 W Forest Ave
918-689-9191
creeknationcasinoeufaula.com
Creek Nation Casino Holdenville
Holdenville 211 E Willow St
405-379-3321
creeknationcasinoholdenville.com
Creek Nation Casino Muscogee
Muskogee 3420 W Peak Blvd
918-683-1825
creeknationcasinomuscogee.com
Creek Nation Casino Okemah
Okemah 1100 S Woody Guthrie Blvd
918-623-0051
creeknationcasinookemah.com
Creek Nation Travel Plaza Muskogee
Muskogee 3420 1/2 W Peak Blvd
918-781-2350
Creek Nation Travel Plaza Okmulgee
Okmulgee 2800 N Wood Dr
918-752-0090
Davis Trading Post and Gaming
Davis 12218 St Hwy 7 W
580-369-5360
chickasawtravelstop.com
Downstream Casino Resort
Quapaw 69300 E Nee Rd
918-919-6000 888-396-7876
downstreamcasino.com
Duck Creek Casino
Beggs 10085 Ferguson Rd
918-267-3468 918-267-3469
creeknationcasinoduckcreek.com
FireLake Casino
Shawnee 41207 Hardesty Rd
405-878-4862
firelakecasino.com
Gold Mountain Casino
Ardmore 1410 Sam Noble Pkwy
580-223-3301
chickasaw.net
Gold River Casino
Anadarko 31064 S US Hwy 281
405-247-4700
goldriverok.com
Golden Eagle Casino
Apache 115 W Evans Ave
580-588-3630
goldeneagleapache.com
Golden Pony Casino
Okemah 109095 N 3830 Rd
918-582-4653 877-623-0072
goldenponycasino.com
Goldsby Gaming Center
Norman 1038 W Sycamore Rd
405-329-5447
goldsbycasino.com
Grand Casino Hotel & Resort
Shawnee 777 Grand Casino Blvd
405-964-7777 405-964-7263
grandresortok.com
Grand Lake Casino
Grove 24701 S 655 Rd
918-786-8528 800-426-4640
grandlakecasino.com
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa
Tulsa 777 W Cherokee St
918-384-7800 800-760-6700
hardrockcasinotulsa.com
High Winds Casino
Miami 61475 E 100 Rd
918-541-9463
highwindscasino.com
Indigo Sky Casino
Wyandotte 70220 E US Hwy 60
918-666-9200 888-992-7591
indigoskycasino.com
Ioway Casino
Chandler 338445 E St Hwy 66
405-258-0051
iowaycasino.com
Ioway Travel Plaza
Tryon 750841 S St Hwy 177
405-547-1512
cimarroncasino.com
Jet Stream Casino
Pauls Valley 2001 W Airline Rd
405-331-2500
jetstreamcasino.com
Kickapoo Casino - Harrah
Harrah 25230 E US Hwy 62
405-964-4444
kickapoo-casino.com
Kickapoo Casino - Shawnee
Shawnee 38900 W MacArthur Dr
405-395-0900
kickapoo-casino.com
Kickapoo Casino Travel Plaza
Harrah 25200 E US Hwy 62
405-964-6073
kickapoo-casino.com
Kiowa Casino Carnegie
Carnegie 514 St Hwy 9
580-299-3333
kiowacasino.com
Kiowa Casino Red River
Devol 198131 St Hwy 36
580-299-3333
kiowacasino.com
Kiowa Casino Verden
Anadarko 33165 CS 2740
580-299-3611
kiowacasino.com
Lucky Star Casino Canton
Canton 301 NW Lake Rd
580-886-2490
luckystarcasino.org
Lucky Star Casino Clinton
Clinton 10347 N 2274 Rd
580-323-6599
luckystarcasino.org
Lucky Star Casino Concho
Concho 7777 N US Hwy 81
405-262-7612
luckystarcasino.org
Lucky Star Casino Hammon
Hammon Travel Center | 20413 St Hwy 33
580-473-2010
luckystarcasino.org
Lucky Star Casino Travel Center
Concho 7751 US Highway 81
405-422-6500
luckystarcasino.org
Lucky Star Casino Watonga
Watonga 1407 S Clarence Nash Blvd
580-623-7333
luckystarcasino.org
Lucky Turtle Casino
Wyandotte 64499 US Hwy 60
918-678-3768
luckyturtlecasino.com
NORTHWEST
82 Oklahoma Indian Country Guide
NORTHEAST
CENTRAL
SOUTH CENTRAL
Amenities
SOUTHEAST
SOUTHWEST
Name
Address
Phone
Website
Madill Gaming Center
Madill 902 S 1st St
580-795-7301
madillgaming.com
Margaritaville at River Spirit Casino
Tulsa 8330 Riverside Pkwy
918-299-8518 800-299-2738
riverspirittulsa.com
Native Lights Casino
Newkirk 12375 N US Hwy 77
580-448-3100 877-468-3100
nativelightscasino.com
Newcastle Casino
Newcastle 2457 US Hwy 62 Service Rd
405-387-6013
newcastlecasino.com
Newcastle Travel Gaming
Newcastle 235 NW 24th St
405-387-2660
One Fire Casino
Okmulgee 1901 N Wood Dr
918-756-8400
creeknationcasinoonefire.com
Osage Casino - Bartlesville
Bartlesville 222 Allen Rd
918-335-7519 877-246-8777
osagecasinos.com
Osage Casino - Hominy
Hominy 39 Deer Ave
918-885-2990 877-246-8777
osagecasinos.com
Osage Casino - Pawhuska
Pawhuska 2017 E 15th St & St Hwy 99
918-287-1072 877-246-8777
osagecasinos.com
Osage Casino - Sand Springs
Sand Springs 301 Blackjack Dr
918-699-7723 877-246-8777
osagecasinos.com
Osage Casino Hotel - Ponca City
Ponca City 64464 St Hwy 60
877-246-8777
osagecasinos.com
Osage Casino Hotel - Skiatook
Skiatook 5591 W Rogers Blvd
918-699-7873 877-246-8777
osagecasinos.com
Osage Casino Hotel - Tulsa
Tulsa 951 W 36th St N
877-246-8777
osagecasinos.com
Outpost Casino
Wyandotte 69701 E 100 Rd
918-666-6770
theoutpostcasino.com
Pawnee Nation Trading Post & Casino
Pawnee 291 Agency Rd
918-762-4466
facebook.com/tpcasino
Prairie Moon Casino
Miami 202 S Eight Tribes Trl
918-542-8670
miaminationcasinos.com
Prairie Sun Casino
Miami 3411 P Street NW
918-541-2150
miaminationcasinos.com
Quapaw Casino
Miami 58100 E 64th Rd
918-540-9100
quapawcasino.com
Remington Park Racetrack & Casino
Oklahoma City 1 Remington Pl
405-424-1000 800-456-4244
remingtonpark.com
River Bend Casino & Hotel
Wyandotte 100 Jackpot Pl
918-678-4946 866-447-4946
riverbendcasino.com
River Spirit Casino Resort
Tulsa 8330 Riverside Pkwy
918-299-8518 888-748-3731
riverspirittulsa.com
Rivermist Casino
Konawa 14313 St Hwy 99
580-925-3994
seminolenationcasinos.com
Riverwind Casino
Norman 1544 W St Hwy 9
405-322-6000 877-787-9637
riverwind.com
Sac & Fox Nation Casino
Stroud 356120 926 Rd
918-968-2540
snfcasino.com
SaltCreek Casino
Pocasset 1600 US Hwy 81
405-459-4000
saltcreekcasino.com
Seminole Nation Casino
Seminole 11277 N St Hwy 99
405-703-5272
seminolenationcasinos.com
Seminole Nation Trading Post Casino
Wewoka St Hwy 56 & US Hwy 270
405-257-3737
seminolenationcasinos.com
SouthWind Casino Braman
Braman 9525 N US Hwy 177
580-385-2440 866-529-2464
southwindcasino.com
SouthWind Casino Kanza
Braman Travel Plaza | 9695 US Hwy 177
580-385-2444
southwindcasino.com
SouthWind Casino Newkirk
Newkirk 5640 N LA Cann Dr
580-362-2578 866-529-2464
southwindcasino.com
StoneWolf Casino
Pawnee 54251 S 349 Rd
918-454-7777
stonewolfcasino.com
Sugar Creek Casino
Hinton 5304 N Broadway Ave
405-542-2946
sugarcreekcasino.net
TeePee Casino
Yale 28314 E 6th St
918-387-2222
facebook.com/teepeecasino
Texoma Casino
Kingston 1794 US Hwy 70 E
580-564-6000
mytexomacasino.com
The Artesian Hotel Casino & Spa
Sulphur 1001 W 1st St
580-622-8128 855-455-5255
solerenityspa.com
The Black Hawk Casino
Shawnee 42008 Westech Rd
405-275-4700
theblackhawkcasino.com
The Riverstar Casino
Terral 11801 E 2160 Rd
855-748-3778
theriverstarcasino.com
The Stables Casino
Miami 530 H St SE
918-542-7884 877-774-7884
the-stables.com
Thunderbird Entertainment Center Norman
Norman 15700 E St Hwy 9
405-360-9270 800-259-5825
playthunderbird.com
Thunderbird Entertainment Center Shawnee
Shawnee 2051 S Gordon Cooper Dr
405-273-2679
playthunderbird.com
Tishomingo Tobacco and Gaming
Tishomingo 1200 W Main St
580-371-3373
Tonkawa Gasino
Tonkawa 10700 Allen Dr
580-628-2624 877-648-2624
tonkawacasinos.com
Tonkawa Hotel & Casino
Tonkawa 16601 W South Ave
580-628-2624 877-648-2624
tonkawacasinos.com
Treasure Valley Casino
Davis 12252 Ruppe Rd
580-369-2895
treasurevalleycasino.com
Washita Casino
Paoli 30639 St Hwy 145
405-484-7778
washitacasino.com
Thackerville 777 Casino Ave
580-276-4229 800-622-6317
winstarworldcasino.com
WinStar World Casino & Resort
Lodging
RV Sites
Ball and Dice Games
Table Games
Bingo
Amenities
Minimum Age
83 TravelOK.com
Starring Roles Oklahoma’s native nations and their citizens share their stories in many ways, including on the big and small screens. Two Oklahoma tribes have gotten involved in the state’s film and television industries. In early 2019, the Cherokee Nation launched the Cherokee Nation Film Office to help grow Oklahoma’s burgeoning film industry. Working with the Oklahoma Film + Music Office and the Tulsa Office of Film, Music, Arts and Culture, the office will promote northeastern Oklahoma as a destination for filmmakers, serve as a cultural and historical consultant on film projects, create an environment that cultivates Native American filmmaking and maintain a database of potential filming locations, resources and talent in the Cherokee Nation. The Cherokees’ “Osiyo: Voices of the Cherokee People,” a documentary-style show, highlights the people, places, history and culture of the Cherokees. Started in 2014,
the regional Emmy-award-winning monthly series airs on several stations throughout Oklahoma, Arkansas and in Joplin, Missouri. Episodes and segments are also available online at osiyo.tv. In 2009, the Chickasaw Nation established Chickasaw Nation Productions to produce feature films and documentaries with portrayals of Chickasaw people, history and culture that are accurate and positive. Its projects have included the 2017 feature film “Te Ata,” which was filmed in Tishomingo and several other locations around Oklahoma. (For more on Te Ata Fisher, see page 23.) The company’s latest project, “Chickasaw Rancher,” shares the story of Montford T. Johnson, a 19thcentury rancher well-known for his colorful personality. The tribe also has its Chickasaw.tv website, which features an online video network with shows focusing on topics like Chickasaw history, culture, news and language.
On the Big Screen
Oklahoma is home to several film festivals showcasing native films. Here are a few to check out:
Holba’ Pisachi’ Native Film Festival Chickasaw Cultural Center, 867 Cooper Memorial Road, Sulphur | (580) 622-7130 | chickasawculturalcenter.com
This one-day summer festival features free screenings of a wide variety of native films along with panels and Q&As.
Native Crossroads Film Festival and Symposium Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave. Norman | (405) 325-3020 nativecrossroads.org
Held over three days in April, this free festival features screenings, speakers and panels. It showcases movies produced, starred in and filmed by indigenous people from around the world. Oklahoma Indian Country Guide
84
Tribal Film Festival Various locations in Tulsa and Tahlequah tribaltelevision@gmail.com tribalfilmfestival.org
This festival takes place several times throughout the year at different locations in Tulsa and Tahlequah. It features screenings, writer workshops and Q&As.
C H E R O K E E N A T I O N A L H I STO RY M U S E U M
E xp e r ie nce t h e c u l t u re and histo ry o f C h e ro ke e N at io n at t his u n fo rge tt a b l e d est i n at i o n in Ta h le q u a h , O k l a h om a .
P LA N YO UR A DV EN T U R E AT
85 TravelOK.com
Index A Absentee Shawnee Tribe........................36 Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town.....36 Allegawaho............................................................. 49 Anadarko Post Office............................30, 31 Anoatubby, Bill.................................................... 28 Apache Tribe................................18, 31, 37, 51 Artesian Arts Festival.................22, 70, 73 ARTesian Gallery & Studios....................22 Asah, Spencer.....................................................30 Ataloa Lodge Museum................................10 Attignawantan......................................................68 Auchiah, James..................................................30
B Bacone College..................................................10 Ballard, Louis W.................................................60 Bartlesville................................................................45 Battle of the Washita...........................33, 34 Battle of Wounded Knee..........................10 Bearskin, Leaford..............................................68 Bedré Fine Chocolates............. 22, 23, 24 Big Tree........................................................................ 51 Black Beaver.........................................................30 Blackfoot....................................................................10 Blackfoot Dances..............................................37 Black Hawk..............................................................61 Black Hawk Wars..............................................61 Black Kettle..........................................32, 33, 34 Black Leggings Warrior Society........73 Blackowl, Archie................................................ 26 Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Shrine...10 Boggy Depot Cemetery............................19 Boggy Depot Park............................................19 Boyiddle, Parker................................................. 31 Brave, Joe Don.....................................................16 Brown, S.W..............................................................46 Bricktown Entertainment District.....24 Buck’s Native American Pawn Shop......................................................30 Buffalo Good.........................................................67 Burgess, Quanah Parker...........................30 Burkhart, Lillie Morrell..................................18 Burnett, Peter........................................................53 Bynum House.......................................................19
C Caddo Nation........21, 28, 30, 38, 45, 67 Caddo Heritage Museum.............. 30, 38 Cadillac, Antoine de la Mothe.............68 Captain Jack...........................................................53 Cathedral of the Osage...............................10 Catlin, George......................................................58 Cavin, Dylan........................................................... 28 Cayuga Splitlog Mission Church...... 62 Chaddleson, Sherman................................. 31 Cha’ Tullis Gallery..............................................10 Cherokee Nation............10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 28, 39, 45, 57, 60, 72, 74, 77 Cherokee Advocate........................................ 12 Cherokee Art Market.....................................73 Cherokee Heritage Center.... 10, 11, 39 Cherokee National Capitol building............................................11 Cherokee National History Museum..........................................11 Cherokee National Holiday....................72 Cherokee National Prison Museum...................................10, 11
Cherokee National Supreme Court Museum............................................. 12 Cherokee Nation Gift Shop......................11 Cherokee Strip Museum & Rose Hill School....................................33 Cherokee Trading Post & Travel Mart..................................................24 Cheyenne........................................................26, 57 Cheyenne and Arapaho........ 26, 32, 34, .............................................................................40, 71 Chickasaw Nation........13, 19, 21, 22, 23, .......................................24, 28, 41, 70, 73, 78 Chickasaw Annual Meeting & Festival.................................................................73 Chickasaw Bank Museum & Johnston County Museum of History..................................22 Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark...........25 Chickasaw Council House Museum.....................................................22, 23 Chickasaw Cultural Center.... 22, 41, 74 Chickasaw National Capitol Building................................. 23, 73 Chickasaw Nation White House.........................................22, 23 Chickasaw Press................................................23 Chief Lookout Memorial & Lookout Mountain............................... 12 Chief’s Knoll at Post Cemetery..........30 Chiricahua Apache.................................32, 47 Choate, George Washington................19 Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma ..............13, 18, 19, 21, 28, 41, 42, 72, 76 Choctaw Casino and Resort.................76 Choctaw Code Talkers................................19 Choctaw Nation Labor Day Festival........................................................19, 72 Choctaw Nation Museum ...............................................................1, 19, 21, 42 Choctaw Senate.................................................19 Citizen Potawatomi Nation...........24, 43, ............................................................................74, 76 Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center...........................1, 24, 43 Citizen Potawatomi Nation Eagle Aviary....................................................24 Civil War..................................12, 13, 14, 19, 31, .......................... 44, 50, 54, 58, 64, 66, 67 Clingman’s Dome.............................................66 Cochise........................................................................47 Code Talkers................................................30, 44 Comanche Nation........................21, 30, 32, ..................................................44, 47, 51, 67, 72 Comanche National Museum & Cultural Center.............................30, 44 Comanche Nation Fair.......................44, 72 Comanche Shirt Company.....................30 Conestoga............................................................... 62 Coronado, Francisco Vazquez de...67 Creek Council House Museum.......... 12 Creek Council Oak Park.............................. 12 Creek Nation.........................................................46 Creek War.................................................................42 Creepingbear, Mirac....................................... 31 Crow Nation....................................................21, 41 Crumbo, Woody.................................................18 Cry, Willie.................................................................. 59 Curtis Act......................................................... 54, 64 Curtis, Charles...................................................... 49 Custer, George A......................................32, 33
86 Oklahoma Indian Country Guide
D
I
Davis, Alice Brown........................................... 28 Dawes Act................................................8, 40, 55 Dawes Commission........................................ 13 Delaware Nation............................. 45, 52, 67 Delaware Tribe of Indians.........................45 Deo, Michael..........................................................18 Dhegiha Sioux......................................................60 Diligwa...........................................................................11 Durant............................................................................42
Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma..................................................46 Erie................................................................................... 62 Euchee (Yuchi) Tribe of Indians.........46 Exhibit C......................................................................24
Illini...................................................................................60 Immaculate Conception Catholic Church..........................................10 Indian New Deal................................................. 51 Indian Removal Act............ 41, 43, 56, 65 Indian Reorganization Act........8, 44, 47 Indian Territory & Oklahoma Statehood Settlement.........................19 Indian Trading Post & Art Gallery..... 26 Indian University.................................................10 Indian Wars.............................................................. 31 Iowa Tribe.................................................................48 Iowa Tribe’s Grey Snow Eagle House.........................................26, 48 Iron Show...................................................................37 Iroquois.......................................................................68
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FireLake Casino...................................................74 Fisher, Mary Thompson “Te Ata”.......23 Five Civilized Tribes Museum.......12, 13 Five Moons..............................................................58 Fort Blunt................................................................... 13 Fort Cobb...................................................................45 Fort Detroit..............................................................68 Fort Gibson Historic Site & Interpretative Center..... 8, 13, 37, 51 Fort Oakland..........................................................65 Fort Pitt.........................................................................45 Fort Sill Apache Tribe....................................47 Fort Sill National Historic Landmark & Museum............................. 30, 31, 47, 51 Fort Supply Historic Site............................33 Fort Towson Historic Site..........................19 Fort Washita Historic Site & Museum........................................................19 Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art..............24
Jacobson House Native Art Center......................................................... 26 Jacobson, Oscar................................................ 26 Jennings, Vanessa........................................... 51 Jim Thorpe Birth Site.....................................25 Jim Thorpe Home.............................................25 Jim Thorpe Museum & Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame................................25 John Ross Museum........................................14 Johnston, Douglas H.....................................23 Joliet, Louis.............................................................60 Joseph................................................................ 32, 34 Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve...............................................1 Jumper, John....................................................... 64
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G General Allotment Act..........................8, 58 General Stand Watie Grave Site........14 Geronimo..........................................................31, 47 Geronimo’s Grave at Apache Cemetery.................................... 31 Gibson, Jeffrey......................................................18 Gilcrease Museum..................................14, 47 Grand Casino Hotel & Resort ...................................................................76, 77, 78 Grant, Ulysses S..................................................53 Guess, George.....................................................16
H Haney, Enoch Kelly................................28, 64 Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa ....................................................................11, 73, 77 Harjo, Chitto............................................................ 54 Harris, Walt...............................................................33 Hart, Nathan................................................................1 Healing Rock..........................................................14 Herrington, John................................................. 41 Hiawatha.....................................................................32 Historic Fort Reno............................................ 26 Historic Stockyards City............................ 28 Hopi.................................................................................18 Houser, Allan C.........................14, 15, 32, 47 Howe, Oscar...........................................................15 Hunter’s Home.....................................................14
K Kansa.............................................................................60 Kanza Museum..............................................1, 33 Kaskaskia..................................................................58 Kauba, Carl...............................................................14 Kaw Allotment Act.......................................... 49 Kaw Nation..................................33, 34, 49, 72 Keechi...........................................................................67 Keokuk..........................................................................61 Kialegee Tribal Town.................................... 49 Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma .................................................................. 25, 50, 52 Kiowa Black Leggings Warrior Society...................................51, 73 Kiowa Black Leggings Warrior Society Ceremonial..........73 Kiowa Gourd Clan............................................. 51 Kiowa Six..........................................................26, 30 Kiowa Tribal Museum................................... 31 Kiowa Tribe.........26, 31, 32, 37, 44, 47, 51
L Larkin, Moscelyne...........................................58 Lighthorsemen...........................................19, 28 Lipan Apache.......................................................65 Loco.................................................................................47 Loloma, Charles..................................................24 Lookout, Fred........................................................ 12 Lookout Mountain............................................ 12 Lost Bird......................................................................10
M Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art........... 26 Mangas Coloradas...........................................47
Marland, E.W......................................................... 59 Marquette, Father Jacques....................60 Martinez, Maria............................................15, 24 Mayes County Historical Society Inc. Museum.............................15 McDonald, Augustus “Gus” Hurley................................................... 59 McKee’s Indian Store & Susan Peters Gallery............................. 31 Medicine Lodge Treaty...............................37 Mescalero Apache Tribe...........................47 Mexican War..........................................................19 Miami Tribe of Oklahoma..........................52 Mitchell, Anna......................................................39 Mitten, Katrina.......................................................52 Modoc Tribe............................................................53 Modoc War..............................................................53 Mohawk...................................................................... 62 Mohawk Lodge Indian Store................. 31 Moore, Paul............................................................. 26 Mopope, Stephen....................3, 26, 30, 31 Murrell, George M............................................14 Muscogee (Creek) Nation..............13, 16, .........18, 26, 28, 49, 54, 64, 65, 70, 77 Muscogee Creek Nation Festival.... 70 Museum of the Great Plains................... 31 Museum of the Red River...................5, 21
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Otoe-Missouria Tribe .................................................33, 34, 55, 71, 72 Otoe-Missouria Summer Encampment................................................. 71 Ottawa Tribe..........................................................56
P Paschen, Maria Tallchief........................... 28 Parker, Quanah...........................................30, 44 Pa-ship-pa-ho......................................................61 Patterson, Pat “Kemoha”........................... 34 Pawhuska..........................................................12, 18 Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma .......................................................... 18, 34, 57, 72 Pendleton.......................................11, 15, 16, 18, ..........................................................23, 24, 31, 34 Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma.........................................................58 Philbrook Downtown.....................................15 Philbrook Museum of Art.................15, 18 Phillips, Frank.........................................................18 Phillips Petroleum Company................18 Piankeshaw.............................................................58 Plains Apaches................................................... 44 Plains Indians & Pioneers Museum....................................................33, 34 Pocahontas..............................................................32 Ponca Tribal Powwow & Celebration........................................59, 71 Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma.............34, 59, ............................................................................60, 72 Pontiac.........................................................................56 Pontiac’s Rebellion.........................................56 Post Cemetery....................................................30 Potawatomi..................................18, 25, 52, 56 Powwow of Champions............................. 71 Prague Historical Museum......................25 Pratt, Charles.............................................................5 Pratt, Harvey..........................................................40 Pueblo................................................................. 18, 67
Naiche...........................................................................47 National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum..........................24, 26 National Hall of Fame for Famous American Indians..........1, 13 .........................................................25, 32, 49, 56 National Indian Taco Championship..............................................74 National Native American Verterans Memorial...............................40 Navajo...........................................................................18 Navaquaya, Doc Tate.................................... 21 New Year’s Eve Sobriety Powwow.............................................................73 Nez Perce................................................................. 34 Norman, Walter...................................................57
Quapaw Tribal Museu.................. 1, 15, 60 Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma.........15, 60 Quapaw Tribe Powwow............................60
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O’Dell, Phoebe....................................................48 Ojibwa..................................................................52, 56 Oklahoma College of Women............23 Oklahoma Hall of Fame at the Gaylord-Pickens Museum .................................................13, 18, 23, 25, 28 Oklahoma History Center...............28, 47 Oklahoma Indian Arts & Crafts Cooperative..................................32 Oklahoma Indian Nation Pow-Wow.......................................................... 71 Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act ...................................................................62,65, 66 Oklahoma Native Art & Jewelry....... 28 Oklahoma State Capitol.............................47 Old Choate Cabin Museum....................19 Omaha.........................................................................60 One Who Is Surrendered..........................37 Onondaga................................................................ 62 Osage Nation............10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, ............................ 18, 26, 28, 34, 55, 60, 72 Osage Nation Museum...............................15 Osage Nation Visitors Center...............15
Rabbit, Bill....................................................... 16, 26 Rabbit Gallery.......................................................16 Rabbit, Traci................................................... 16, 26 Redbird, Robert.................................................. 26 Redbone, Frank...................................................37 Red Earth Art Center.................................... 28 Red Earth Festival & Parade................24, .............................................................................70, 71 Redstick Gallery.................................................16 Remington, Frederic......................................14 Restaurant of the Cherokees................74 Richardville, T.F....................................................52 Riverside Indian School.............................67 River Spirit Casino Resort........................ 77 Roberts, Morning Star.....................................3 Rogers, Will............................................................. 13 Ross, John....................................................... 14, 39 Route 66.................................................................... 26
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S Sac & Fox Nation.....................25, 28, 61, 71 Sac & Fox Nation Pow Wow................... 71
Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History............................ 28, 37 Satank (Sitting Bear)..............................30, 51 Satanta.......................................................................... 51 Schonchin John..................................................53 Seminole Nation...............................13, 18, 28 Seminole Nation Museum.............28, 64 Seminole Wars....................................................64 Seneca-Cayuga Nation.................. 46, 62 Sequoyah............................................... 16, 28, 32 Sequoyah’s Cabin............................................ 16 7 Clans First Council Casino, Resort & Waterpark............................... 55 Sharp’s Pawn and Jewelry...................... 34 Shawnee Tribe.........................16, 52, 62, 63 Shawnee Tribe Cultural Center..........16 Sheridan, Philip....................................................33 Sherman, William Tecumseh...............53 Sia: The Comanche Nation Eagle Center..................................................32 Sioux..................................................................... 57, 59 Soaring Eagle Gift Shop.............................16 Sole’renity Spa.....................................................78 Southern Plains Indian Museum.......32 Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center................19, 21 Splitlog, Mathias................................................ 62 Spurs and Arrows..............................................16 Spybuck, Ernest.................................................36 Standing Bear..............................................34, 59 Standing Bear Park, Museum & Education Center................................ 34 Standing Bear Pow Wow.................... 1, 72 Stickball................................ 23, 39, 66, 72, 73
T Tawakoni....................................................................67 Te Ata Memorial Auditorium & Statue...............................................................23 Teepee Rock..........................................................14 Tennydooah, Henry........................................ 51 Teton Trade Company.................................18 Texas-Mexico War..........................................36 The Aaimpa’ Café..............................................74 The Artesian Hotel Casino & Spa ..........................................................22, 76, 77, 78 The Branded Bear............................................32 The Cherokee Kid............................................. 13 The Great Seminole Nation of Oklahoma.........................................................64 The Rainbow Trail..............................................18 The Spider Gallery..................................16, 18 The Water Bird Gallery...................... 16, 18 Thlopthlocco Tribal Town........................65 Thorpe, Jim...........................................25, 28, 61 Three Valley Museum.................................. 21 Tiger, Dana......................................................18, 54 Tiger Gallery...........................................................18 Tiger, Hvresse Christie.................................18 Tiger, Jerome...............................12, 13, 18, 24 Tiger, Lisa...................................................................18 Tionontati..................................................................68 Tointigh, Birdie......................................................37 Tonkawa Tribe..........................34, 65, 70, 72 Tonkawa Massacre.........................................65 Tonkawa Museum......................................1, 65 Tonkawa Trail of Tears.................................65 Tonkawa Tribal Museum.......................... 34 Tonkawa Tribal Powwow.......................... 70 Trail of Tears......................................... 14, 19, 39
For more on Oklahoma’s tribes, visit TravelOK.com/American_Indian_Culture.
Treaty of 1843........................................................68 Treaty of 1855.......................................................68 Treaty of 1864........................................................53 Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek.........42 Treaty of Doaksville........................................ 41 Treaty of New Echota...................................14 Tribes 131 Art Gallery.................................... 28 Tullis, Cha’..................................................................10 Tulsa Historical Society & Museum.......................................................58 Tulsa Powwow..................................................... 71
U UCO Spring Pow Wow................................ 70 United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians.....................................66 University of Kentucky................................ 63 University of Oklahoma..............................24 University of Oklahoma Western History Collections..................................23 University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma...................................................23 U.S.S. Quapaw......................................................15
V Victorio.........................................................................47
W Waco............................................................................ 67 Walking Bear..........................................................37 Warm Springs Apache Nation.............47 War of 1812......................................................42, 61 Washita Battlefield National Historic Site......................................................32 Watie, Stand............................................................14 Wea.................................................................................58 Wendat........................................................................68 Wheelock Academy...................................... 21 Where the Buffalo Roam...........................18 White Antelope, Yolanda......................... 28 White Dog Press................................................23 White Hair Memorial......................................18 Wichita and Affiliated Tribes................45, .............................................................................67, 71 Wichita Annual Dance.................................72 Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. 1 Wichita Tribal Dance...................................... 71 Wichita Tribal History Center...............67 William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology............................................... 63 Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch.............. 13 Will Rogers Memorial Museum......... 13 WinStar World Casino & Resort........78 Woody Crumbo Mural.................................18 Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve.....................................................16, 18 World War II................................19, 26, 30, 44 World War I..............................................................57 Wright, Allen.......................................................... 19 Wyandotte Nation..................................52, 68 Wyandotte Nation Cultural Center & Museum.......................................................68 Wyandotte Nation Tribal Pow Wow.........................................................68
87 TravelOK.com
City Index
Advertiser Index
Ada..............................................................23, 41, 73 Alva...............................................................................33 Anadarko.............................3, 13, 25, 30, 31, ................. 32, 37, 45, 49, 56, 71, 72, 73 Apache.....................................................................47 Atoka........................................................................... 19 Bartlesville................................................... 16, 18 Binger..............................................................30, 38 Calumet.........................................................24, 26 Carnegie.........................................................31, 51 Catoosa....................................................................73 Cheyenne..............................................................32 Chickasha..............................................................23 Claremore..............................................................13 Clinton........................................................................31 Concho............................................................40, 71 Cork, Ireland.......................................................42 Cyril..............................................................................32 Davis............................................................................22 Durant......................................................19, 21, 76 Edmond...................................................................70 El Reno.....................................................................26 Fletcher....................................................................47 Fort Gibson...........................................................13 Fort Sill.............................................................30, 31 Fort Supply..........................................................33 Garvin..........................................................................21 Grove..........................................................................62 Henryetta...............................................................49 Hominy..................................................................... 10 Idabel..........................................................................21 Indianola................................................................. 19 Kaw City.........................................................33, 49 Lawton................................. 30, 31, 44, 47, 72 McLoud................................................................... 50 Medicine Park......................................... 30, 32 Miami................ 16, 52, 53, 56, 58, 60, 63 Milburn............................................................22, 23 Muskogee.................10, 12, 13, 16, 18, 73
Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism.......................................................83 Chickasaw Country, Inside front cover Chickasaw Cultural Center, Inside back cover Choctaw Country.....................................20 Citizen Potawatomi Nation..............27 Creek Tourism............................................... 17
Newkirk....................................................................55 Norman...................................... 23, 24, 26, 28 Nowata..................................................................... 18 Okemah.................................................................. 65 Oklahoma City.....................13, 23, 24, 25, ................................... 28, 47, 48, 70, 71, 76 Okmulgee .................................12, 16, 54, 70 Oologah....................................................................13 Park Hill....................................................10, 11, 14 Pawhuska.........10, 12, 15, 16, 18, 55, 74 Pawnee....................................................................57 Perkins............................................................26, 48 Perry............................................................................33 Ponca City.................................34, 59, 71, 72 Prague.......................................................................25 Pryor................................................................... 15, 16 Quapaw................................................14, 15, 60 Red Rock.......................................................55, 71 Sallisaw.................................................................... 16 Sapulpa................................................................... 46 Shawnee.................24, 26, 36, 43, 74, 76 Skiatook................................................................... 14 Spiro....................................................................19, 21 Stroud................................................................61, 71 Sulphur.......................22, 41, 70, 73, 74, 78 Tahlequah....................................10, 11, 12, 16, ............................................ 18, 39, 66, 72, 74 Thackerville.........................................................78 Tishomingo...............................22, 23, 41, 73 Tonkawa........................................................65, 70 Tulsa..............11, 12, 14, 15, 58, 71, 73, 77 Tuskahoma................................ 19, 21, 42, 72 Washington D.C............................................. 40 Wetumka............................................36, 49, 65 Wewoka........................................................28, 64 Woodward.................................................. 33, 34 Wyandotte................................................. 46, 68 Yale...............................................................................25
Osage in the Enemy Camp — John D. Free Sr.
88Pawhuska Oklahoma Indian Country Guide
Grand Lake Association..................6-7 Green Country Marketing Association..............................................17 Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau..............................29 Oklahoma State Parks.........................87 TravelOK.com Trip Planner................2 TravelOK.com..................................................8
The Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department would like to thank the tribes of Oklahoma for their input, guidance and advice and acknowledge the following sources for providing much of the detailed background that informs this guide: - Tribal nation websites - “Indian Tribes of Oklahoma: A Guide,” by Blue Clark - Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, a product of the Oklahoma Historical Society and the Oklahoma State University Library Electronic Publishing Center
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Gloss Mountain State Park
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How to begin researching Native American heritage If you’re trying to trace your family history, here are some ideas on how to get started: • Talk to family members. Try to compile a family tree and find out which ancestors were believed to be Native American and what tribe or tribes of which they may have been members. • Search family records. Photo albums, scrapbooks, family Bibles and newspaper clippings often contain useful information. • Visit libraries and genealogy centers. Tribal rolls, censuses and newspaper archives are among the most useful documents that you may find. Many libraries and centers also have free internet access and memberships to genealogy websites. The Oklahoma Historical Society Research Center in Oklahoma City and the Genealogy Center of the Tulsa City-County Library both contain many research resources. While tribes do not typically do genealogical research, several — including the Cherokee and Chickasaw nations — have centers you can visit to do your own research. Please be aware that each tribe determines its own citizenship requirements, and these vary among the tribes. Even if you are able to ascertain which tribe your ancestors were members of, you may not be able to become a tribal member. For a list of Oklahoma genealogy resources, pick up a copy of the Oklahoma Genealogy Guide.
Read up on Oklahoma While Oklahoma’s Native American heritage is a fascinating and incredibly significant part of the state’s culture, there’s much more to see and in around the state. The Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department offers many free publications to help travelers plan vacations and learn more about what the state has to offer. Other available guides include the annual Oklahoma Travel Guide, the Oklahoma State Parks & Outdoor Guide, the Discover Oklahoma Destination Dining Guide, the Oklahoma Route 66 Guide and the Oklahoma Motorcycle Guide. To have any of these guides shipped to your home free of charge, visit TravelOK.com/Brochures or call (800) 652-6552. More than 70 other free brochures and maps are also available on the website, including many that feature American Indian attractions. Oklahoma travel guides are also available at Tourism Information Centers, Oklahoma State Parks and many tourist attractions around the state.
90 Oklahoma Indian Country Guide
Visitors love joining joining Visitors in our love Stomp Dance indemonstrations. our Stomp Dance demonstrations.
Every day, visitors join us in demonstrations of our Stomp Dance tradition. It’s part of a world-class destination where we share our culture, year-round, from the Village to exhibit halls and galleries. Join us!
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Horticulture Discover our gardens, from spring planting through harvest. Stickball Games Chickasaw people have played for centuries and still do to this day in our Traditional Village. C H I C K A S AW C U LT U R A L C E N T E R .C O M • S U L P H U R , O K • 5 8 0 - 6 2 2-7 13 0 OPEN DAILY E XCEP T HOLIDAYS
OKLAHOMA
I nd i a n Cou nt r y G u i d e
T R AV E LO K .C O M